For Parents & Kids

If you belong to a CSA you should look to see if the farm has days when members can join to harvest and plant vegetables, fruits and flowers. Getting kids to help out, get their hands dirty and learn where their food comes from can be an invaluable lesson (and exercise!). If you don’t already belong to a CSA, see the answer above on how to find one near you. There are a couple of good documentaries that are appropriate for younger people and curriculum resources for guiding children through some of these issues. Eric Schlosser wrote a great children’s book called Chew On This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food.

There is also a young readers version of The Omnivore’s Dilemma now available. A couple of documentaries are out that are probably appropriate for at least middle schoolers. Supersize Me is worth seeing as is FRESH, which deals with the food system and features people like urban farmer Will Allen at Growing Power. The FRESH filmmakers have put together some curriculum materials. An organization called Spoons Across America offers resources, guidance and curriculum to parents and educators on food, nutrition and getting kids involved and interested in fresh food through hands on experiences like farmers’ market treasure hunts. In Pocantico Hills, New York kids can go to after school programs, summer camps and a variety of other food and farm based events at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. PBS Kids has a website called Fizzy’s Lunch Lab that teaches young kids and their families about good nutrition, a balanced diet, and physical activity. Real Food Action has resources for kids including a “My First Organics” seed and planting kit.