October is Farm to School Month
“Farm to school” is a national movement to connect children from early care to higher education to healthy, local food in the cafeteria and classroom through educational opportunities such as school gardens, classroom food activities, and farm field trips.
A broad array of activities encompass farm to school, like planting seeds, using garden-based learning for curriculum lessons, visiting a local farm, and taste testing local food in the cafeteria. These activities have been shown to not only increase student’s acceptance and preference for fruits and vegetables, but also to increase academic achievement and improve student behavior.
Each year, Georgia Organics selects a vegetable to celebrate October Farm to School Month and encourage kids across Georgia to try new things and make healthy choices. This year, it’s all about spinach with the theme of “Leaf it to Spinach.”
Individuals who sign up to participate in Leaf it to Spinach will receive access to an electronic toolkit that includes spinach-infused easy activities and recipes, standards-based lessons for pre-K through eighth grade, cooking videos, and much more.
Georgia Organics will have weekly social media contests with prizes throughout October, so make sure to use #LeafittoSpinach to showcase all of your activities. You can also sign up for Leaf it to Spinach resources.
Making plans to Leaf it to Spinach in your school or community during October? Contact Georgia Organics to highlight your activities on social media.
For more information on farm to school in Georgia, visit georgiaorganics.org/for-schools.