It’s Time to ParSLAY the Day During Farm to School Month This October
October is Farm to School Month, and schools and early care centers statewide are ready to “ParSLAY the Day!” This statewide celebration is coordinated by Georgia Organics to get kids eating, growing, and participating in parsley-themed activities.
Register now to participate at your school, early care center, or in your community. Stay tuned to Georgia Organics’ monthly eBite newsletter and social media as the fun continues all the way to October—and beyond. You can also visit the lessons library from past Farm to School Month festivities with activity sheets, recipes, lessons, grow guides, fact sheets, and other resources.
Georgia Organics is creating a free electronic toolkit for educators and school nutrition professionals filled with parsley-themed curriculum lessons, activities, recipes, and more.
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.
Some ideas for planning activities:
- Review the activities and lesson plans included in the electronic resource toolkit provided to you via email. Do you want to prepare a new recipe? Plant the fruit or vegetable in different conditions and see how it grows best? Host a taste test? Grow and taste different varieties? The possibilities are endless.
- Connect with cafeteria staff to discuss serving the selected food as part of a taste test or school meal in conjunction with your October Farm to School Month plans
Share your “ParSLAY the Day” pictures and activities on social media with #ParSlayTheDay. Each week during October, anyone who has used this hashtag will be entered to win a prize, and at the end of the month, we will select a grand prize winner.
Additionally, Georgia Organics has a contest to engage school nutrition departments. During October, school districts will have the chance to win a special prize if they serve dishes including parsley in their menus at least once per week. The contest is now open at bit.ly/parsleycafeteriacontest.
For more information on farm to school in Georgia, visit https://farmtoschool.georgiaorganics.org/parslaytheday.