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Farmers as Educators: How to teach the next generation of eaters Insert Name of Presenters

Farmers as Educators: How to teach the next generation of eaters Insert Name of Presenters Peer Leadership Network. National Farm to School Network. Farm to School Peer Leadership Network.

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Farmers as Educators: How to teach the next generation of eaters Insert Name of Presenters

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  1. Farmers as Educators: How to teach the next generation of eaters Insert Name of Presenters Peer Leadership Network

  2. National Farm to School Network

  3. Farm to School Peer Leadership Network Goal: Strengthen farm to school training and technical assistance for stakeholders through peer learning. • 20 Peer Leaders selected in 4 stakeholder groups: • Farmers • Child Nutrition Directors • Educators / Teachers • Early Child Education Providers • 12 peer trainings developed and shared nationally • Peer leaders available to provide one-on-one assistance • The Peer Leadership Network is a project of the National Farm to School Network • The project is supported by Newman’s Own Foundation

  4. Presentation Outline • What is Farm to School? • Why Participate in Farm to School? • How to Add Value to Your Farm as an Educator • Farmers As Educators • Are You Ready? • Get Started

  5. Farm to School: A Holistic Approach LOCAL PROCUREMENT SCHOOL GARDENS EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION FOOD & AG CURRICULUM

  6. What is Farm to School? Farm to school is the practice of sourcing local food for schools or preschools and providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities to children, such as school gardens, farm field trips and cooking lessons. Farm to school improves the health of children and communities while supporting local and regional farmers.

  7. How to Get Involved Sales of farm products to schools- AND / OR - Visits to schools for educational activities Hosting student field trips to your farm

  8. Benefits of Educational Activities • Boost community awareness of your farm • Raise awareness of local food system with students and families • Increase demand for local products while cultivating the next generation of eaters • Enhance farmer-to-consumer relationships • Reinforce healthy eating behaviors and knowledge of nutrition and agriculture among students • Create new revenue streams on farm through agritourism opportunities

  9. Benefits of Educational Activities • Provide valuable learning experiences that meet state or national academic benchmarks • Help schools meet state or local requirements for experiential, outdoor or environmental learning • Share meaningful awareness of the value of agriculture • Impart knowledge and farm life with students, especially with urban students who have minimal access to farms • Change student nutrition behaviors with lasting impact

  10. How to Add Value through Education • Increase your competitiveness in the school marketplace by adding value through education • Point of sale materials in the cafeteria provide education about local food and farms • Informal school visits (cafeteria, tastings, etc.) • Classroom visits linked to educational component • On-farm field trips to extend learning experiences • Whether or not you are selling to school, this is an opportunity to provide education •  Align your activities to state or national standards • Farm knowledge is a natural tie in to school standards, especially science and social studies

  11. Which Educational Activities? At schools: Participate in ‘taste tests’ Join cafeterias when your local product is being served Visit classrooms to talk about food & farming Contribute to school garden efforts Host a farmers market, farm stand or CSA pick-up Write a column for the school newsletter Donate or sell product for school fundraiser

  12. Which Educational Activities? On your farm: • Provide guided educational tours • Create ‘self-guided’ education tours and materials for students, teachers and chaperones to use • Agritourism: • Create a pumpkin patch, corn maze or U-pick • Host farm field trips where students practice math at the farm store Connect student experience to educational benchmarks

  13. Roles for Farmer as Educators • Serve as “Informal Educator” • Share a memorable and meaningful experience • Share your story, but remain neutral regarding religious, political or controversial issues • Connect the lesson and experience with schools standards and curriculum • Demonstrate impact of student learning

  14. Are You Ready? In schools: • Do you enjoy interacting with people, especially school aged students? • Are you better suited for a school assembly or small classroom visit? • Does your schedule allow time for this work? • What do you have to share with students? • Do you have printed marketing materials about your farm that are easily shared with schools?

  15. Are You Ready? On-farm education isn’t for everyone. • Are you willing to share your farm? • Are you prepared to operate as an agritourism business? • Do you have appropriate liability insurance that includes having students on your farm? • Do you have capacity to add one more enterprise to the list?

  16. How to Do It • Make a local connection: talk to a teacher, food service manager, school administrator or other school staff • Connect with a local non-profit acting as an intermediary between farm and school. Who is their planner? What teachers do they work with? Who is your connection? • Extension Nutrition Educators may be looking for opportunities to connect farming and healthy foods to students • Understand what subjects are being taught in local schools and how to connect your farm to these topics • What do you have to share? What are your strengths?

  17. Additional Resources National Farm to School Networkhttp://www.farmtoschool.org Growing Minds: Farm Field Tripshttp://growing-minds.org/farm-field-trips/ Farm Based Education Networkhttp://www.farmbasededucation.org/

  18. www.farmtoschool.org

  19. National Farm to Cafeteria Conference April 15-18, 2014 in Austin, Texas www.farmtocafeteriaconference.org

  20. October is National Farm to School Month More information at www.farmtoschoolmonth.org

  21. Evaluation and Future Assistance • Complete the training evaluation form • Future one-on-one training

  22. Thank You! Name Title Organization Phone E-mail Website

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