Natural Nutrients: Fresh Ideas for Quality Meals in Schools

Teacher
Taylor DePalma
School
Bishop Woods Magnet School
Applicable Grades
5-6th

Essential Question

How will students utilize natural resources to develop a cost-effective food program that includes more organic and healthy nutrients for inside and outside of the classroom?
Through hands-on experiences and collaboration with peers, sixth graders created a way for the community to eat natural nutrients while offering more nutritious and cost-effective options. Students harvested their gardens and provided healthy options for the school community during the annual ‘Outdoor Day.’

Each student loved these opportunities and seeing the excitement in their faces each time they ran outside to check on our garden, is something I am thankful to have experienced. This project brought a sense of spark back into my teaching and taught me that there are so many ways to get students to think critically and display their knowledge that don’t just involve the classroom.

Taylor DePalma

Sixth-Grade Teacher

Project Narrative

It started when one student asked during our read-aloud to Harlem Grown by Tony Hillery. “What happened to the fresh fruits and veggies we were given as snacks a few years ago?  Why did they stop bringing them into classrooms?”  This one question ignited an elaborate group discussion on how we can bring those natural healthy nutrients back into each classroom. Sparking the beginning of our project, Natural Nutrients. 

I was elated to hear students were able to make real-world connections and put themselves in the same shoes as the author and see how their community is like Harlem, and how natural and fresh produce is not as easily accessible to them as unhealthy and toxic food ingredients. Students stated that the only convenient food for them is full of toxic or artificial ingredients. The class began to wander and fill with ideas as we thought of how we could make healthy and delicious food, both cost-effective and easily accessible to our school community. As a class, we began to think of our work with community partner, Common Ground and produced many ideas to integrate our work with Miss Melissa and serve our school community. Students decided to utilize our community garden to plant and harvest our fruits and vegetables to be served to other members of our school community at an upcoming school-wide event. 

The harvesting led students to think, “What about beyond this year?” Students did not just want other members of our community to be offered healthy alternatives for just one day a year. They wanted to utilize the space in our community garden and partner with Common Ground to continue the ongoing process of planting and harvesting various fruits and vegetables. Students said this would positively impact the community by saving money and getting a healthy and nutritious diet. We plan to continue our work in years to come on a grander scale for outside the school community and think of ways students can impact not just those around us but members of our community and beyond.   

Measuring Impact

Assessing student learning outcomes, standards met, skills developed, and community impact.

Project Outcomes

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students used their Math Skills to compare the prices of a dinner from McDonald’s to a dinner made at home with locally sourced ingredients. This is where students were able to identify the problem and prepare to find a solution.
Create a Healthy Diet With a variety of natural and fresh ingredients students were able to create their weekly lunchroom menu and include necessary food groups for children their age. 
Collaboration and Community Working with peers and engaging with the school community students began thinking and planning on a grander scale of how we can offer our natural nutrients in the future communities.
Empowered Students to advocate for positive changes in their community and continue to make real-world connections on how we can impact not just those around us but beyond.

Meeting Standards and Developing Learners

Enviornmental Science
  • 5-LS1-1 Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
  • 5-ESS3-1 Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities can use scientific ideas to protect Earth’s resources and environment.  
Social Studies
  • GEO 5.2 Explain how culture influences the way people modify and adapt to their environment. 
  • GEO 5.3 Explain how human settlements and movements relate to the locations and use of various natural resources. 
Math
  • 5.MD.A.1 Convert among different-sized standard measurement units within a given measurement system (e.g., convert 5 cm to 0.05 m), and use these conversions in solving multi-step, real-world problems

  • 6.SP.A.3 Recognize that a measure of center for a numerical data set summarizes all of its values with a single number, while a measure of variation describes how its values vary with a single number.

Learning Experiences
*Days did not occur in consecutive order, but are chronologically placed by order of events*
Day 1: Read Aloud & Discussion
Read aloud with the book Harlem Grown by Tony Hillery and whole class discussion on making real-world connections to our own community
Day 2: Dietetic Presentation & Lesson
Members of our local New Haven Food Services visited our classroom and presented students with a lesson on healthy eating and nutritious ingredients. Students used the PBE principle of design thinking to create their own weekly menu for possible lunches our school can provide. Students were asked to choose from a list of ingredients and “must haves” to offer a nutritious well-balanced meal to all students.
Day 3: Brainstorming & Planning
Students began brainstorming ideas to bring locally sourced and harvested crops to members of our school community and how we can align the work we are doing with community partner, Common Ground. Students then took their ideas to Miss Melissa and began laying out a plan to use our school’s garden to grow our own nutrients to be more cost effective. Students used the PBE principle of design thinking to create their own weekly menu for possible lunches our school can provide. Students were asked to choose from a list of ingredients and “must haves” to offer a nutritious well-balanced meal to all students.
Day 4: Starting Seedlings
Students started seedlings using egg cartons and watered them as needed to prepare them for going into our garden.
Day 5: Garden Preparation and Continued Care
Students worked with Miss Melissa to soil our garden beds and transfer various vegetables and herbs. Community as a classroom was displayed during this portion of the project as students continued to check on their garden and care for it as needed.
Day 6: Garden Labeling
Students worked hard during an art class to create their own garden labels to place in our hex beds—adding a unique touch!
Day 7: Outdoor Day Preparation
Students began to prepare for Outdoor Day and gather the necessary materials. Students began to create the signage for outdoor day to display their healthy snack and provide to students during their Outdoor Day activities
Day 8 +: Harvesting & Sharing
Students will continue to plant and harvest their fruits and vegetables and take care of our garden. The plan is to have students continue their work in the coming years and provide snacks and healthy alternatives to students throughout their school day. Students also plan to create our own BW farm stand and give fresh fruits and vegetables to our local community.

Links and Downloadable Materials

Resources

  • Harlem Grown by Tony Hillery
  • Common Ground
  • New Haven Public Schools Dietetic Department 
  • Community Garden
  • Seeds
  • Egg Cartons
  • Plants 
  • Soil
  • Garden Tools
  • DIY Garden Labels 
  • Paint
  • “Natural Nutrients” Farm Stand
  • Art supplies
  • Cups and Utensils 
  • Dressing for lettuce

Since 2005, Seedlings Educators Collaborative has provided professional development, ongoing support and resources to Connecticut educators from diverse school environments.

Features

Professional Development

Resources

About

Start typing and press enter to search

Scroll to Top