Do Your Kids Know Where Their Food Comes From?
Ask the average kid where milk comes from and he might very well say a jug. Bread? The grocery store. According to research by Kingston University in London, kids need more farm visits to dispel the ignorance and misconceptions about farming and where food comes from. Scientist Frances Harris, the author of the report, wants schools to take action to organize these visits.
Even if your child knows that milk comes from a cow, does she know that there is more than one variety of cow? A hands on approach at the farm could also help kids understand which foods are real and which ones are processed. They won’t see any Pop Tarts or red, blue and green grains that could make up their Fruit Loops on the farm. Showing your kids where food comes from could set them up for a lifelong, healthier lifestyle. And actually being able to reach out and touch a cow is invaluable compared to watching a farm DVD or playing a video game.
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Harris found evidence that when children took trips to the farm they had an impact on their parents’ shopping habits, too. In fact, 16 percent of parents said they would change their grocery list to be more sustainable, buying more local, organic and seasonal products.
What’s on your child’s field trip list this year? If a farm visit isn’t planned yet, talk to your child’s teacher and volunteer to chaperone or to help organize a trip. While your child might understand where food comes from and you might already buy organic, you could help out another student and his family.
Image credit: jepoirrier on Flickr under a Creative Commons License
I definitely agree with you Julie. Firstly, I think it a good thing for their culture (of course we hope tey know milk comes from a cow and not only the shop where they parents used to buy it) but it aslo a good manner to be aware of what good food is. I’m PRO farm visits!!!
If you are interested in environemental issues, have a look on this website too:Green Times
Great post!
At REAL School Gardens we certainly believe that gardening with children can help them understand where their food comes from. Gardening can also connect children back to nature (as oppose to their plethera of technological devices available), encourage picky eaters to try new foods, get children active and engaged, and help reinforce science lessons through experiential learning. For a great fact sheet on the benefits of gardening with children, see http://www.cudenver.edu/Academics/Colleges/ArchitecturePlanning/discover/centers/CYE/Publications/Documents/CYE_FactSheet3_Benefits%20of%20Gardening%20for%20Children_July%202009.pdf.
The next time you sit down for dinner, talk more about the food you and your children are eating. Ask them about the differernt parts of the plants. Does the root of a carrot taste better than the flower buds of the broccoli? Why are the leaves of cabbage a different shad of green than the leaves of lettuce? Even if you don’t always know the answers, asking questions about food — thinking about what we put into our bodies — will benefit your children for years to come.
Happy Gardening!
I think this is extremely important. I plan to make it a regular thing to visit the farm where we get our milk and eggs and also where we get our veggie when my children are old enough to understand. I commented on this here: http://www.greenbabiesblog.org/feeding/milk-home-delivery/