The Problem
The wish for this project is increasing the amount of vegetables and fruit eaten by elementary school children, in spite of the challenges of living in "food deserts" with little access to fresh food. An additional barrier is that low income families cannot afford to waste any food, so they are less likely to risk getting vegetables and fruit, that their children might not eat. Research shows that the greater diversity of vegetables children try, the greater the quantity of vegetables they eat as teenagers. Our students have one experiential garden lesson a month incorporating writing and science, and one nutrition lesson where they gather fresh produce from the garden. If a student does not like a recipe, she articulates what she doesn't like, and suggests modifications to the recipe. The recipes are sent home with the students.
