Social Science

World Food Day: October 16, 2012

Submitted by sarahp on Fri, 09/28/2012 - 13:30

By:

NGA Staff

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Download this free classroom guide from Kidsgardening and Oxfam America:

World Food Day Classroom Guide for Educators

World Food Day is a great opportunity for students and teachers to understand more about global approaches to ending hunger. This year’s theme is “Agricultural cooperatives—key to feeding the world”. Observing the day as a school or individual classroom is one of the best ways to raise awareness about food instability and other food-related issues like malnutrition. Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know where to start!

World Food Day

Submitted by sarahp on Wed, 10/03/2012 - 00:26

By:

NGA Staff

Right Side Box:

Download this free classroom guide from Kidsgardening and Oxfam America:

World Food Day Classroom Guide for Educators

Taking It To the Bank

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Check out these lesson ideas:
My Seed Bank
Researching the Past, to Discover the Future

Have you ever considered the importance of saving seeds? A seed represents the promise of life -- a new plant in a ready to grow package. It also contains that species’ genetic code including the traits the plant hopes will ensure its survival over the long haul.

Researching the Past, to Discover the Future

Submitted by sarahp on Wed, 02/16/2011 - 11:54

Grade Level: 8-12

Materials:

Posterboard for six groups of students

Exploration

1. As a class, list what the students think are the most important plants for their nation. Discuss why each of these plants may be on the list. Ask the students to give a general location of where these plants (regions and climates) are grown.

How Sweet It Is

Submitted by sarahp on Fri, 01/14/2011 - 20:57

There are many stories explaining the discovery of the sugary-syrup made from the sap of maple trees. One of the most well-known is the Legend of Chief Woksis whose wife reportedly discovered maple syrup while preparing venison (deer meat) during the “Season of the Melting Snow.” The legend recounts:

Maple Syrup, Step-by-Step

Submitted by sarahp on Fri, 01/14/2011 - 20:52

Materials:
- Maple Syrup
- Sugarbush Spring by Marsha Wilson Chall. A girl and her grandfather tap sugar maple trees and tell the story of making maple syrup. ISBN: 978-0688149079

Exploration

1. Hold up a bottle of maple syrup and ask the students if they know how syrup is produced?

2. Tell the students that syrup comes from trees, but do not tell them how it is extracted.

Baking Bread to Nurture Cultural Understanding

Submitted by sarahp on Wed, 12/22/2010 - 02:45

When Ginger Clarke’s kindergarteners participated in the harvesting of their first school garden, yanking zucchini was surely a highlight. But then came the taste test. “None of the kids liked it either raw or cooked,” says Ginger. Determined to find a way to get students to try the versatile vegetable, Ginger invited the class to use it to make bread from scratch. It was a hands-down hit. “The kids were amazed by how much they loved it,” she explains.

Eatin' with Grandma

Submitted by sarahp on Wed, 12/22/2010 - 02:41

When Molly Hesser and other home school parents pondered what new project could support their local food and sustainability focus, they came up with a simple twist. Each family would specialize in raising just one type of vegetable, and they’d pool their products. To bring social studies into the mix, youngsters would first interview grandparents and other family elders about favorite foods from the past.

Fertile Ground: Growing Food, Community, Cultural Connections

Submitted by sarahp on Wed, 12/22/2010 - 02:22

Photo courtesy of Fertile GroundWhen Massachusetts parent and environmental consultant Catherine Sands learned that a garden was slated for her daughter’s rural elementary school, she saw an opportunity. Why not use the plots as a springboard for enticing students to eat fresh food, connecting them to diverse communities, and introducing them to local aspects of food systems?

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Fertile Ground

Over the years, Fertile Ground has grown from a single school pilot program to a consulting group able to “empower schools and families to make smart food choices, and to work together across race, class, and difference, improving their communities through school gardens, food celebrations, and caring for the land.” Intrigued? Learn more or contact Fertile Ground staff through the program’s Website.

Cultivating Peace and Cultural Understanding

Submitted by sarahp on Wed, 12/22/2010 - 02:11

One Plot at a Time

“You're learning about different countries around the world so it’s like you're already creating peace by learning about them," says Seryn, a Montessori school student from Louisville, KY. The centerpiece of her living multicultural “textbook” is a schoolyard garden filled with crops that students and chefs turn into dishes from around the globe.

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Peace Garden Materials and Grant

The Muhammad Ali Peace Garden program and grant was created to help teach children to learn about respect for diverse cultures and nutrition by raising their own food with plants from different countries. It is sponsored by Yum! Brands, which has committed $100,000 over four years as an extension of its World hunger Relief effort. Educators around the world can download a free teacher’s guide and grant application forms (available in six languages) by visiting My Peace Garden or National Gardening Association’s Peace Garden Grant page. Hurry! The next grant application deadline is January 5, 2011.