Cooks on a Roll: The Outdoor Classroom's Kitchen Cart
My students need measuring spoons and cups, vegetable peelers, induction cookware, flatware sets and more to create a mobile kitchen cart so that we can cook together, learn about nutrition and where our food comes from, and enjoy the experience of a shared meal.
When asked about where food comes from, most of our students answer that it comes from the supermarket. The whole idea of planting seeds and eventually harvesting something you can eat is a pretty mind-blowing concept to most of them. We want to connect the seed to the table for all of them.
Our Outdoor Classroom program takes place in an urban K-6 school in CA.
We provide the hands-on experience that young children require to fully developing their critical thinking skill as they cultivate and harvest food grown with their own hands. Our garden encourages students to explore and experiment, as well as arouse their curiosity and passion as they gain a deeper understanding of plant cycles. With rapidly rising rates of childhood obesity and other chronic diseases, we are also committed to helping our children to discover fresh food, make healthier food choices, and become better nourished.
At this time we do NOT have a formal PE program or a nutrition curriculum. Most of our students receive lunch through the school, although based on the amount that winds up in the trash, many do not eat very well during the course of the school day. We want to awaken them to their options, and help them to become advocates for their own health and wellness.
My Project
It's Tuesday afternoon and cooking is happening in the garden! The garden coordinator rolls out the cart, and the chefs-in-training start harvesting green beans. While washing them thoroughly, we talk about when we planted them and what we did to take care of them.
A couple of the students look up nutrition information about beans, and we talk about how green veggies are good for you. We then saute' them with a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Then we sit down at the table with real plates and napkins and enjoy our food. We need measuring spoons and cups, vegetable peelers, induction cookware, flatware sets and more to create a mobile kitchen cart so that we can cook together, learn about nutrition and where our food comes from, and enjoy the experience of a shared meal.
The next day, a family stops by the garden and the mom tells the garden coordinator how her daughter came home last night and was so excited about the meal she made in the garden. The little girl even professed a new found love for green beans.
This little cooking cart has the power to change lives, one meal at a time. By providing us with a mobile cart, an induction stove stop, and various cooking implements, you are opening new doors to our kids.
Kids learn best by doing.
If we want to change their attitudes toward nutrition and toward the earth, we need to give them opportunities to see how their health is linked with the health of the planet. We also need to model how enjoyable cooking and sharing healthy meals can be. They are hungry to be fed good good and to create real connections with community and the earth- it is up to us to feed them!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Schooley and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.