At Kids’ Food Basket (KFB), we use our facilities and farms as classrooms to foster a deeper understanding of where food comes from and why it is important, empowering children to make lifelong healthy choices. Every day, the KFB education team works to deliver tailored lessons that meet the STEAM needs of classrooms within our Sack Supper program. While this education is usually directed for elementary-aged students, lessons can also make an impact for some of our community’s youngest scholars.
This spring, preschoolers from Hope Academy of West Michigan visited the KFB Farm – Kent County. About 20 4- and 5-year-old students enjoyed a morning of experiential agriculture lessons made just for them!
Upon arrival at the facility, the students instantly recognized the logo on the side of the building as matching the totes that contain their Sack Suppers. Like many community members who pass through our doors, they soon found out that KFB is a lot more than just weekday evening meals.
The young students started by sampling red bell peppers. Nearly all the students tried the sweet vegetable, which was new to most of the class. After trying it with a “sprinkle of courage,” more than a quarter of the students reported liking what they tried and shared that they would eat it again!
The class then headed out to Kent County’s fully heated barn classroom to learn about seeds and how plants grow. After a lesson on the basic needs of a plant, it was time to get their hands in the dirt! Each student learned how to poke a hole in a peat pot full of rich soil and plant a sunflower seed to take home.
The students then headed out for a farm tour. They got a chance to try kale flowers blooming from overgrown plants. Some students were hesitant to eat flowers, but many liked the sweet results. One student said, “It’s good. Can I get another one of these?” Many snacked on the small flowers throughout the rest of the tour.
When everyone had picked the flowers to eat, the preschoolers then got to help with a very special job: pulling the kale plants out of the ground so that they could become part of the composted topsoil! This was a highlight for many as they worked in pairs to uproot the plants that were almost as tall as themselves.
These hands-on experiences foster an early love and appreciation for healthy food, agriculture and the environment. When students not only learn about plants on paper but also have a chance to touch, taste and even uproot them, they create memories and impressions that resonate well beyond the lesson. On our farms, vegetables are not just something in the grocery store or refrigerator. They are dynamic, growing pieces of the world that connect us all.
We are grateful to be a part of the budding enthusiasm for STEAM in some of West Michigan’s youngest learners! To learn more about our education operations and access free online agriculture lessons through the Ground Up Learning Lab!
