Florida’s Farm-to- School Harvest of the Month program provides educational materials that highlight a different Florida-grown food item each month. The Dairy Council of Florida partnered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to create materials that focused on dairy during the month of September.
The Harvest of the Month program enables students to understand where their food comes from, and exposes them to both seasonal foods and, those year-round foods, such as dairy. A select number of Florida teachers can receive a printed copy of these educational materials for free each month, and all materials are available as a free download on the FDACS website.
For the 2016-2017 School Year below are the following items being highlighted:
- September: Dairy
- October: Grapefruit
- November: Mushroom
- December: Lettuce
- January: Tomato
- February: Strawberry
- March: Potato
- April: Bell Pepper
- May: Sweet Corn
The lesson plans provided are available for K-2nd, 3-5th and 6-8th grade with corresponding state educational learning standards. The elementary grade level packets include lessons with language arts, math, science and social studies. The garden activity includes hands-on projects that demonstrate for kids what they are learning in the classroom, and parent newsletter content connects classroom learning to family time. The middle school students have the opportunity to do more critical thinking activities and focus on science to learn about the Harvest of the Month.
To access Harvest of the Month materials visit: http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Food-Nutrition-and-Wel…
Contributor
Lori Nelson MS, RD, LD/N, Nutrition Manager, Dairy Council of Florida
Photo by usdagov / CC BY http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/