All Saints’ Day School Organic Garden
© Meredith Mullins

Stand Up for Real Food

Remember the first time you planted a radish seed in elementary school. You were mesmerized as you watched the little patch of loose earth, waiting for that sprout to appear. The few days seemed like an eternity. But, finally, there it was, pushing the earth aside to stretch up toward the sun.

A Sprout Worth Waiting For
© Thinkstock

For me, at age seven, watching that first little sprout uncurl and straighten up was a life-changing experience. I had actually grown something, nurtured it to life. And I proclaimed, with a certainty not usually found at such a young age, that I was going to be a farmer.

Flash forward to lots of young children having a similar aha moment. Only now, these life-changing experiences are happening in school gardens—where the idea of healthy, organic food takes root; branches out to various parts of an education program; and gains momentum from media headlines:

• Michelle Obama is a high-profile champion for this important component of our lives—eating healthfully and staying fit.
• Chefs like Alice Waters and Jamie Oliver are leading food revolutions—encouraging the use of fresh, organic ingredients.

Many advocates for healthy eating are charging forward with Jamie Oliver’s battle cry:

Stand up for real food!

These words can inspire an OIC moment. The real OIC revelation is probably not when we acknowledge that healthy eating is a good thing but rather when we make healthy eating a part of our everyday lives. It’s more of an “Oh, I REALLY see” moment or an “Oh, I need to make this a priority” moment . . . all in the name of life-changing goals targeted to health and  longevity.

Life-Changing Experiences with Fresh, Organic Vegetables
© Thinkstock

Learning from Dirt, Scraps, Leafy Greens, and Chickens

One elementary school in California is notable for taking a stand for “real food.” The focus on healthy eating at the All Saints’ Day School in Carmel Valley, California, has been seamlessly integrated into the curriculum . . . and into the school lunch program.

The school is one of the first in the country to serve a 100% organic lunch (thanks to their partnership with a nearby organic farm). They have also launched a school garden—something that’s fun for students and also inspires integrated learning:

• In science, students learn about plant life cycles. They then follow the cycles first-hand as they prepare the garden beds, plant seeds, tend seedlings, provide water and nourishment for the soil, protect plants from disease and pests, and harvest when the vegetables are ready.

• Similarly, as they take care of a flock of chickens and collect fresh eggs from the hen house, they experience animal life cycles that connect to science concepts they are learning.

• Students learn the value of recycling when they collect food scraps from classroom snacks and the leftovers from the lunch program. This material is then composted for use in the school garden. On average, the students recover 11 pounds of food scraps per week.

• In art class, students are often inspired by the garden. They paint wooden panels for the sides of the plant beds and build scarecrow sculptures that shimmer in the sun.

Candace the Sculpted Scarecrow
© Meredith Mullins

• Health and nutrition concepts are integrated when students, who harvest the food from the garden and from the fruit trees, then prepare lunch delectables like fresh salads, kale and potato soup, and applesauce.

• The students also learn to give back to the community, as good citizens, when they prepare food baskets full of fresh produce and herbs from the garden for special occasions for local charities.

Mother Nature Delivers Life Lessons

A few days ago when I visited the garden, a rare frost for this part of the state had covered everything with a sparkly dusting of white. The plants that were once perky and warmed by the sun were now a little droopy. They looked decidedly cold.

I asked Garden Director and teacher Jan White if the students would be disappointed. “Maybe,” she said, “But they will learn an important life lesson: Mother Nature is always in charge.”

Garden Director Jan White
© Meredith Mullins

The students at this California school certainly learn about Mother Nature, but they also have life-changing experiences as they follow the life cycles of plants and animals and benefit from the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. They are standing up for real food in the best possible way—in their academic curriculum and in their daily healthy eating habits.

To see more school gardens in action, visit Life Lab and School Gardens.

See Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize wish: Teach Every Child About Food

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.