‘Farm to Fork’ Offers Free Elementary School Materials
To help teachers demystify modern food and agricultural production
The Alliance to Feed the Future today announced the availability of new, free curricula to help students in grades K-8 learn about modern food and agricultural production and how American farmers and producers provide safe, nutritious and abundant food choices every day.
“Lunchbox Lessons: The Journey from Farm to Fork,” was made possible through a grant from Farm Credit, America’s largest agricultural lending cooperative. The grade-specific materials were developed by The Education Center of Greensboro, North Carolina. The comprehensive supplemental curricula guide students through the exciting journey of food from the farm to their forks. The lessons address different phases of agriculture and food production, as well as the basics of food safety, healthful eating, physical activity and energy balance, in an engaging and age-appropriate way. Lunchbox Lessons highlights the crucial role farmers and other food producers play in delivering safe, nutritious and affordable food for American families and the growing global population.
The online, downloadable curricula include 15 grade-specific lesson plans, an 8-panel color classroom poster, and five parent take-home pieces, including Spanish translation. The curricula can be used to complement teachers’ existing lesson plans and incorporate core school subjects such as math and science while students are learning about modern food production. The curricula meet core skills including Common Core State Standards that all teachers are required to satisfy, so it will be useful and relevant for years to come.
“More than ever, Americans are separated from farming and distribution of the foods we all enjoy and are exposed to misinformation and myths about modern food and agricultural production,” says David Schmidt, President and CEO of the International Food Information Council, which coordinates the Alliance. “The 105 Alliance members, including professional societies and universities, educational organizations, and industry and commodity groups, believe it is crucial that accurate and straightforward information be made available to teachers, students and parents to demystify the process by which food is produced. These curricula do that in a way that is fun and captivating, and we are pleased to make them available to busy educators looking to teach multiple skills, while also learning about where our food comes from.”
All of the educational materials are available through the Alliance to Feed the Future website. This fall they will also be offered in The Education Center’s publications, the TheMailbox.com and Learning magazine. Teachers can also enter a contest demonstrating how they use the lessons in their classrooms to win prizes for the most innovative and effective examples.
The Alliance to Feed the Future website (www.alliancetofeedthefuture.org) is home to an assortment of hundreds of helpful resources and information regarding the modern food production system from farm to fork.
