Middle School

Kids Cook!

 

Poor nutrition has significant impact on kids’ lives.  The problem is that kids don't know how to "eat healthy."  At Kids Cook!™ our hands-on cooking programs combat those issues by creating awareness and working to establish lifelong healthy behavior patterns.  Our mission is to provide children with hands-on cooking experience and to teach a wide variety of kitchen, and life, skills in a fun, safe environment.  Kids Cook!™  is a social enterprise and has three program components.

The "Beyond the Label" Project

The "Beyond the Label" project is an endeavor to engage students, parents and communities in interactive workshops training them to read "beyond the label" in an effort to truly understand how to read and analyze nutrition labels as well as how to identify healthy and unhealthy ingredients. This project forms the foundation of understanding upon which we build our other programs tailored to introducing the relationship between food choices and disease and the healing properties of foods as well as our program in food economics. 

Bloomington Community Orchard

Bloomington Community Orchard is an organization devoted to growing fruit for the community and growing our orcharding skills through educational opportunities. The publicly owned orchard is maintained by volunteers, and the harvest is available to everyone in the community. The Education Team provides educational programming to people of all ages through presentations, workshops and educational tours, consultation, and representation at community events. Our Junior Stewards Program offers year-round hands-on educational opportunities to area youth. 

Kanyon Kids Garden

Our school is very remote and a 40 minute drive to a grocery store and even farther for larger shopping choices. Our school has a population of 61 students and 80% of our student body are First Nations Peoples. Living in such a remote area meant less healthy choices for students and community members so it came about that the students wanted to grow food for the lunch program but also for community members as well.

Holy Family Parish Garden

The Holy Family Parish Garden was started as a service learning project by the 2014-2015 5th grade class.  Our goal was to create a pallet style garden, easy to maintain, on an empty Parish lot across from the school, that we could grow good quality, organic vegetables to for the Parish Food Pantry during the summer, and the School during the school year when the garden was viable.  (Winter months are a little tricky in Mid-Michigan for growing much.) We began by studying and learning the basics of plant biology and growth.

Mundo Gardens Community Garden

Located in National City, CA, Mundo Gardens is a roots community garden program empowering youth and families throughout San Diego and across borders. We are cultivating wellness and creativity by combining nature, music, and the arts.

Laura Beach Giving Garden

The Laura Beach Giving Garden is located at Espiritu Santo Catholic School. There are currently 9 raised beds (one for each grade) growing vegetables and herbs including; carrots, pole beans, beets, radishes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, squash, cilantro, dill, and egg plant. The garden also has a butterfly habitat in order to attract pollinators. This garden not only serves as an outdoor classroom but teaches the spirit of giving.

The Farm at St. Joseph Mercy Health System

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital near Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti in Michigan is home to the nation's first hospital-based farm and clinical accessible hoop house.

We converted over 20 acres of lawn into arable farmland, where we grow alfalfa, fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs. We work with two production hoop houses and have a third accessible hoop house for rehabilitation therapy.

The Farm hosts a weekly farmers market in the hospital lobby, provides a CSA for staff, provides produce for patient meals and the hospital's deli, and donates produce to our local food pantry.

Maryland Agricultural Resource Council

The Maryland Agricultural Resource Coucnil (MARC) is the non-profit arm of the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture and Farm Park operated by the Baltimore County Recreation and Parks Department in Cockeysville, Maryland in Northern baltimore County.

The 150 acre farm park, which has been actively engaged in agriculture since the 1700's and which is now protected under an agricultural easement, offers the public unfettered acces to agriculture. It is "The People's Farm".

Project La Antonia Orchard Scholastic

Project La Antonia Orchard Scholastic

Objectives

1. Knowing the importance of vegetables for health.

2. Developing the habit to consume vegetables.

3. Harvesting the vegetables.

Classes are developed concerning:

  • Plant description
  • Crops
  • Plagues and consequences
  • Nutritive value
  • Medical properties
  • Conservation and culinary use

We have studied the following vegetables: spinach, carrot, onion, basil, lettuce, parsley, etc.

Other activities:

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