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Nutrition Education in the Elementary School Gardens

Welcome to the Nutrition Connection in the Garden Program!

Our program teaches the fundamentals of nutrition education through experiential garden based learning to students in 22 elementary schools throughout Hayward, San Lorenzo and San Leandro. Our Nutrition Educators work closely with schools, parents and communities to educate and inspire individuals to make healthy lifestyle choices.

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Nutrition education is focused around the school’s outdoor garden classroom where students plant, tend, harvest, taste and learn. Our curriculum links the principles of nutrition education with those of cultivating a healthy, productive school garden. Lessons focus on California Education and Health Standards and incorporate English Language Development (ELD) techniques. Students engage in monthly classes, after school clubs, recess and cafeteria tastings. Each activity includes a tasting of seasonal, local produce. As a result, students are asking for more spinach, kiwis, pears, even cauliflower! It is amazing to see how much students enjoy eating and learning about fruits and vegetables!

Our program fosters parent and community involvement by hosting weekend and after school Nutrition Connection events such as workdays, harvest festivals and potlucks. Nutrition Educators also organize activities at Back to School Night, Open House and other school wide events. These activities ensure lasting change by connecting nutrition education to everyday life.

Nutrition education in the garden is seeing a student harvest a carrot, marvel at the fact that it grew underground and then take a big bite! It is a classroom teacher excited about a student bringing in fruit salad to celebrate their birthday. It is a parent who says that their child is asking for snow peas when they thought they would never eat vegetables.

If you want to learn more about our program or see the program in action, contact Lauren Raskin, Program Manager at lraskin@husd.us or 510-723-3900 ext 30146.

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