Food Literacy

at The Learning

Center! A N o r t h C a r o l i n a

C h a r t e r S c h o o l

Small Bites

We teach food literacy …

�  In the classroom

We teach food literacy…

�  In the Dining Commons

We teach food literacy…

�  At Home

In the Classroom

�  Stand-alone lessons or units on nutrition

First graders eat a a healthy “sunshine salad” they made themselves as part of their MyPlate unit

In the Classroom

�  We are building a nutrition library of food and farm related books.

In the Classroom

�  Cooking and tasting activities integrated into the curriculum

Fourth graders participate in a “book cook” after reading The Memory Coat

In the Classroom

Eighth graders make bread as part of a study of microbiology

In the Extended Classroom

Kindergarteners make “stone soup” over a fire in The Outdoor Learning Center

In the Extended Classroom

Students in grades 7 and 8 discuss a wide range of topics--from anatomy to local food culture and history—as they attend a local hog butchering.

In the Extended Classroom

Left: Students prepare the greenhouse for fall planting.

Right: Kids meet kids on a farm field trip.

In the Dining Commons

�  Our child nutrition staff prepares healthy meals, mostly from scratch, every day.

In the Dining Commons

�  A beautifully fresh salad bar is offered almost daily

In the Dining Commons

�  We purchase local products when possible. Much of our beef and pork is locally produced and we are currently working toward purchasing local chicken for next school year.

In the Dining Commons

�  Dining monitors are involved in encouraging students to make good food choices.

In the Dining Commons

�  We hold special promotions to encourage participation, such as National School Breakfast Week shown below.

In the Dining Commons

�  Healthy eating information is displayed on bulletin boards, the serving line and the morning e-bulletin board.

In The Dining Commons

�  Signage assists students in making healthy food choices

In the Dining Commons

�  Our Early Bird Breakfast Club offers free breakfast to all students.

In the Dining Commons

�  We have recently begun doing taste tests aligned with ASAP’s “get local@school” calendar.

More Taste Testing

In the Dining Commons

�  Periodically, electives in food preparation are offered to our middle school students. They are taught by child nutrition staff.

At Home

�  We strive to get the message into our students’ homes with our brightly colored monthly menus which contain nutrition information and recipes.

At Home

�  We send home recipe cards from taste tests and also make them available in the school office.

At Home

�  Our blog and school website contains information on choosing and preparing healthy foods.

To learn more, please visit us at…

�  Naturallygrownkids.org �  tlcgrowzone.org/blog/ �  Email us at maryjo@naturallygrownkids.org or debby@naturallygrownkids.org

Words of Inspiration

"I believe that every child

in this world needs to have a relationship with the land...to know how to nourish themselves...and to know how to connect with the community around them.“

Alice Waters