In addition to selling to schools, farm to school is a great way to connect with the community and engage students about how their food grows and where their food comes from. Here are a few ways you can reach out to schools and share with students your experience of what it's like to be a farmer.
Schools and teachers are increasingly interested in connecting their students to where food comes from. Either with a single class, or as a large group assembly, you can speak with students, bring samples, and do a colorful and delicious show-and-tell of what food grows on your farm. When talking with teachers prior to the event, find out what lessons the students are learning, and you may be able to integrate how their subject material may connect with your presentation.
What better way to introduce kids to the delicious food you grow than by having them taste it! If you grow varieties of the same crop, you could do a taste test where students write about the different attributes of each one or chart the class favorites.
School gardens are becoming more common throughout the state. If schools near you have a garden, considering doing a soil or composting activity with the students at the school. Or you could meet with them at the beginning of the season to develop a crop plan. Students would love to have you visit to hear some tips from a real-deal farmer.
Having a group of students on your farm helps kids make the connection between the food they eat, how it grows, the people who grow it. It provides them with a fun and interactive classroom to learn about good food and the local farms in their communities. Think about your farm through the eyes of a student and consider ways to turn your farm into a classroom for a day.
The more opportunities our children have to learn about the people, time, effort and resources neccesary to turn a seed into a crop, the more they will appreciate the food on their plates. As the next generation, it will be up to them to continue our state's agricultural heritage
- Hon. Jay Inslee, In Recognition of "Taste Washington Day"