Turnip the Volume—and Get Ready for Farm to School Month
October is Farm to School Month, and schools and early care centers statewide are celebrating all things turnip. “Turnip the Volume (Can you Dig It?)” is a statewide celebration coordinated by Georgia Organics to help kids across Georgia get to know turnips by growing, eating, and learning about it.
To participate at your school, early care center, or in your community, sign up for an online toolkit. Participants will receive free electronic resources to help you plan and implement your activities. Resources include standards-based lesson plans, quick activities, recipes, videos, school garden planting and harvesting information, and more.
The first 300 people to sign up will receive a free packet of turnip seeds, washable turnip tattoos, and a Georgia Planting and Harvest Calendar for school gardens.
In 2019, more than 1 million students and 27,000 preschoolers from 912 schools participated in Georgia Organics’ “Oh My Squash” Farm to School Month campaign. While the spotlighted vegetable changes every year, you can use the lessons in classrooms or at your home for as long as you want.
In an effort to support active, experiential learning while strengthening community Farm to School connections, Georgia Organics created the Seed Sharing Toolkit. This guide includes advice on the sourcing and distribution of seeds and educational resources in partnership with school or community meal providers.
Farm to school activities like planting seeds, taking care of plants, and observing their growth don’t rely on internet or device access and can be enjoyed with a minimum of materials. Nurturing vegetable plants to harvest teaches students a life skill of growing food, increases their likelihood of eating vegetables, and can strengthen the food sovereignty of their household and community. Best of all, these activities keep the mind and body engaged while stimulating the senses.
Share your “Turnip the Volume” pictures and activities on social media with #turnipthevolume. Each week during October, anyone who uses this hashtag will be entered to win a gift card. At the end of the month, Georgia Organics will announce a grand prize winner.
For more information on farm to school in Georgia, visit farmtoschool.georgiaorganics.org/october-f2s-month or email kimberlykoogler@georgiaorganics.com.