farm to school Archives - Next Step Adventure

Community Food Systems + Farm to School and Early Care Conference 2024

Dan Zimmerman on June 29, 2024

The 2024 Community Food Systems + Farm to School & Early Care Conference was held in June and included educational Farm tours the day before the conference.

The Johnson County Historical Poor Farm visit combined the history of the Historical Poor Farm with how the land is used today:

Community plots through Global Food Project
GROW: Johnson County to supply local food banks with fresh produce
Maintaining the land by removing invasive species and restoring native landscapes that help clean the water as it works its way to streams
Education on farming and the historical usage of the Historical Poor Farm

Camp Creek Farm in Kalona, IA showed us:

The hard work of starting up a farm in fields that had been unused recently
Existing infrastructure for long term micro green production
Creating compost to use in the fields from yard waste and farm waste
The variety of produce that consumers expect from Consumer Supported Agriculture and farmer’s markets

Camp Creek Farm is creating connections not only through farming and local food hub distribution but sharing greenhouse and storage space with other local farmers.

While the farm visits reminded me of the hard work it takes to grow the food we eat everyday, the conference opened my eyes to the barriers that prevent fresh, local food from being available to schools and early care sites everyday. Timing of when crops are ready in the fields and when children are in the classroom. Funding and sourcing enough food for an entire school or district. Budgets and time for the people needed to prepare the food. And kids’ tastes, what will they actually eat from year to year? I learned about established and well run programs in place or starting up that help fund fresh local food. The conference brought together educators, food service workers, chefs and local farmers to further understand the systems already in place, uncover challenges and create connections to keep pushing forward to get fresh, local food into school and early care sites that kids will eat. The kindness, connections, collaboration and education that I experienced at the conference has me energized to continue the adventure!

Farm to School Science Lessons

Sara Lockie on October 31, 2023

We are often asked, “How do we bring Farm to School teaching into our classrooms?” There are barriers. Time is short. Teachers are stretched. There is no “free time” in the day to add something extra.

Fortunately, Farm to School is not an extra. There are countless ways to integrate it into the existing framework. We know student learning increases when activities are hands-on, engaging, and meaningful. Farm to School activities do this.

Working with Waukee Community School District, we developed science lessons that meet the curriculum goals of the Iowa Academic Standards through Farm to School activities. Each grade level folder contains lessons and supplemental materials including:

Hands-on science lessons
Instructions for growing food in the classroom
Lessons for academic learning in the garden
Book lists
Cross-curricular connections
Taste-testing guidelines

All lessons are aligned to Next Generation Science Standards, as well as the Waukee School District’s progress report statements. Material lists, learning goals, actions steps, reflection questions, hand-outs, and seasonal recommendations are included.

We invite you to access the materials, try them out in your classroom, and let us know what you think. What worked well for you? What suggestions do you have?

Farm to School Lessons

We are proud of our work and thankful to partner with Waukee Schools, a Farm to School leader.