Washington Grown - Harvest of the Month
Overview
The Seattle Public Schools Nutrition Services & Health Education departments collaborated on the development of materials for Washington Grown, a Harvest of the Month program. Washington Grown highlights local produce, whole grains and dairy on a monthly basis in 35 schools in the district. The materials created are transferable to districts throughout Washington since the program highlights foods grown in the state.
For Families
Support our local farmers by buying lunch on the Washington Grown, Harvest of the Month menu days. We regularly serve foods grown within Washington State on our menu. Harvest of the Month is just another way we are promoting the farmers in the state. Take a look at the current lunchroom menu to see the number of local foods served. The key on the menu highlights the foods sourced locally.
Here are some ways that you can share the Washington Grown, Harvest of the Month experience:
- Talk about upcoming Washington Grown, Harvest of the Month foods at home - look up fun facts about each featured food on www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.
- Serve Washington Grown, Harvest of the Month items at home - watch for special promotions of these seasonal foods in local stores and get your children involved in shopping, selecting a recipe and preparing the foods at home. Kid-tested recipes are available at http://healthyrecipes.oregonstate.edu or www.cookusinterruptus.com.
- Buy lunch on Washington Grown, Harvest of the Month days. If your children are not regular lunch participants, buying lunch on the Washington Grown, Harvest of the Month day sends a message that you support our efforts to offer foods grown in Washington State to our student population.
Importance of Washington Grown - Harvest of the Month
Seattle Schools is committed to promote life-long health habits around eating by offering a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products daily. Washington Grown supports local agriculture, seasonal eating and education about how foods are grown and produced.
Monthly Materials
One of the priorities of Washington Grown, our local harvest of the month program, is to link the cafeteria with the classroom. Learning about foods will stimulate an expanded palate for our children and change the way they think about food and how it grows.
Each month cafeterias are provided with materials focusing on the featured local food item. Materials are then displayed on their Harvest of the Month bulletin board located in the cafeteria. The nutrition educator packet provides key information about the featured item as well as resources to further explore each fruit, vegetable, grain or dairy item, It incorporates hands-on activities, tools and ideas for open-ended exploration by students. The packet promotes mathematics, science, health, reading and gardening, all centered around the highlighted food. It is meant for teachers, but is appropriate for anyone teaching nutrition education to our students.
- January (apples): bulletin board, educator material
- February (pears): bulletin board, educator material
- March (frozen berries): bulletin board, educator material
- April (potatoes): bulletin board, educator material
- May (dried beans): bulletin board, educator material
- June (dairy): bulletin board, educator material
- September (plums): bulletin board, educator material
- October (cabbage): bulletin board, educator material
- November (carrots): bulletin board, educator material
- December (squash): bulletin board, educator material
Click to view the Harvest of the Month calendar.
Monthly Highlights for 2011-2012 School Year
February (Dairy)
Hosting school sites: Bailey Gatzert, Muir, Highland Park & Maple
Cinnamon, a baby calf, visited schools to teach the kids about farming, cows and producing milk. A brief nutrition education lesson was included on the importance of calcium in your diet.
March (Potatoes)
Hosting school sites: Emerson, Concord, Van Asselt & Roxhill
A “farmer” visited cafeterias during lunch to teach the students about potatoes. The students were able to touch a variety of potatoes, see how they grow and talk about how we eat them.
In the Central Kitchen, nearly 4,000 pounds of local potatoes were prepped and diced for two oven roasted potato menus.
April (Wheat)
Hosting school sites: MLK, Leschi, Dearborn Park & Dunlap
A “chef” visited cafeterias during lunch to encourage students to sample a southwestern bulgar salad which was prepped in the school kitchen that morning.
May (Beans)
Hosting school sites: Arbor Heights, Sand Point & Whittier
A “chef” visited cafeterias during lunch to educate the students on the abundance of beans grown in our state. Students participated in an interactive game matching a variety of bean with a common menu item that might see at school, home or in restaurants.