Food-related school projects can be fun, hands-on learning opportunities
Poor eating habits, along with a lack of curiosity regarding the culinary arts, can be transformed through engagement of children in school food projects. Involving children in the preparation of food not only teaches them a valuable self-sufficiency skill but can also educate them as to where their food comes from, the processes involved in growing it, and how different cultures cultivate and prepare their food. It can also become a meaningful way for different instructors from different disciplines to work together, particularly if gardening is involved in the project.
Cultural Dishes
Pairing cultural food projects with a geography lesson is one way to bring children further into their studies, via hands-on involvement, and a tangible end result. As an example, an instructor who is covering the history and/or geography of China could spend one class period teaching children about stir-frying foods in a wok, and about the common ingredients and spices used in stir-frying. In this example, because of limited class times, the instructor would be well-served to prepare the ingredients beforehand (i.e., pre-chopping vegetables). While the food is being prepared, the instructor can add to the atmosphere by playing traditional Chinese music for the students.
An instructor can go even further by linking a food project to a geography and history lesson, both of which could also be tied to a historical date. A clear example of this would be preparing Mexican food with students as part of a study of Cinco de Mayo, in addition to covering the geography and culture of Mexico.
School Gardens
Student/teacher-run school gardens are becoming increasingly popular, with some scholastic garden projects yielding fruits and vegetables that are prepared and served back to the students via their cafeterias. A school garden can link together diverse subjects as seemingly unrelated as botany and horticulture, ecology, cultural studies, history and mathematics.
Rural and suburban schools are somewhat better positioned to start a large outdoor garden because of the physical outdoor space afforded to school sin these settings, though some inner-city schools have begun purchasing vacant lots to utilize as urban garden spaces. Schools with no available outdoor space, that wish to nonetheless participate in a garden program, can utilize windowsill space by starting a small hydroponic garden indoors.
When the produce is ready to harvest, the instructor and students can prepare and enjoy the food they've raised together, having learned grow their own food by taking into account information from a number of different academic disciplines.
Healthy junk food
Many children seem to have a natural affinity for unhealthy snack foods, which can be troubling to health-conscious parents. One interesting way for an instructor to put a twist on their students junk-food cravings is to engage them in the preparation of largely unprocessed and preservative-free versions of their favorite junk foods. As an example, students can learn about baking by making homemade Twinkie-style cakes, utilizing what are known as creme-canoe pans and pastry bags.
Another example of creating a food preparation lesson around the topic of healthy snacks is to have students make their own tortilla chips, by brushing cut corn tortillas with cooking oil, sprinkling them with spices and salt, cutting the tortillas into triangles, and baking them until crisp.
Tags: school, projects, their food, food projects, outdoor space
