Farmer and chefs in the classroom

Friday was a jam-packed day of food and fun! Recently we've been lucky to have two CSA farmers, the family of one of our classmates, come in to do a lesson on food and farming with the kids! Last month Farmer Bard talked about tomatoes, and this Friday he did a lesson on root vegetables, specifically how carrots are grown and stored. We are going to continue these lessons (which include a veggie tasting!) as often as we can this spring! Many kindergarten students are very picky eaters, which is typical at this age. But did you know studies show that repeated tastings of the same food will often change a child's preferences?

Here are some pictures of our farmer in the classroom teaching how tomato seedlings are planted:

To continue our food adventures (and exposure to new types of food), we paired up with the district high school's cooking class, a group of sophomores who are studying food, culture and cooking. They came to our classroom and presented on where spring rolls come from - and then let the kids make their own! The high schoolers did an amazing job of prepping all the veggies ahead of time, and let the kindergarteners watch as they soaked rice paper to make the rolls. Then the kids got to choose whatever ingredients they wanted for their rolls. Many chose shrimp, kohlrabi, bean sprouts, and carrots. They also provided two types of sauce for dipping. The kids loved it and all but one student gave the spring rolls a try!

The high schoolers will be coming to visit our classroom once a month. I can't wait to see what they bring next!