2nd GRADE, MAY Seed-to-Table Garden Relay OVERVIEW Through a relay game, students act out the cycle of growing and eating food. GRADE LEVEL 2nd Grade OBJECTIVES Students will: Put the steps of growing and processing food in order, from preparing the soil to eating the food and composting the scraps. Find examples of the seed to table cycle in the garden. Cooperate with team members to play a relay game illustrating many of the steps in the cycle. STANDARDS Science, 2.2. Students know plants and animals have predictable life cycles. Science, 2.4.d. Students write or draw descriptions of a sequence of steps, events, and observations. English Language Arts (Common Core), Writing, 2.3 Students write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events. Garden School Foundation Curriculum MATERIALS Copies of the Seed to Table Cycle student page cut apart into sets Spring-type clothespins, one per student Plastic flagging tape or masking tape in two colors Permanent marking pen 2 yardsticks or strips of cardboard Any additional items for relay (see Preparation) BACKGROUND the term seed to table refers to the many steps of producing food for people. It includes sowing seeds in rich soil, preparing food for the table, and all the steps in between, and represents a combination of natural processes and human activities. With gardens and other small-scale food production, this process can be seen as a cycle. Seeds grow into plants, which are harvested and prepared for consumption, and then the remaining plant material and food scraps are composted to feed the soil for new plants. Farmers also use some of their plants to produce seeds, which they can then plant the following season. A deep understanding of food production from seed to table helps children understand where their food comes from. It can also engender an appreciation for nature and for nutritious, fresh food. gardenschoolfoundation.org 2nd Grade - May
VOCABuLARY composting, cooking, harvesting, pollinating, preparing, relay, ripening, seed to table, sprouting, tending, transporting, watering, weeding PREPARATIOn Make one or more copies of the student page, cutting each apart into a set of cards. Check to see which of the items from the student page are represented in the garden. For any that aren t easily found (such as preparing and cooking food, or eating) think about placing objects in the garden to represent them, such as cutting boards and vegetable peelers, or plates and napkins. Prepare two sets of clothespins, one for each team: 1. Cut apart student page and glue or tape labels to the clothespins. 2. Write one of the seed to table cycle stages on each of the clothespins. If you have more than 12 students per team, make duplicates of the first stages (starting with Preparing Soil ) until you have enough. Write a number on each of the clothespins in each set to help put them in order. 3. Clip each set of clothespins in order onto a yardstick or strip of cardboard, starting with Preparing Soil. LESSOn Getting Ready Introduce the seed to table concept by asking students how food gets to their tables. Encourage them to think about the trip food makes, starting when the seed is planted in the soil and continuing through the growing and harvesting of the plant, until the fruit or vegetable is eaten from a plate. Point out that the process is a cycle. Ask for 12 volunteers, and randomly give each student one of the cards you have prepared from the Seed to Table Cycle student page. Help them read aloud the cards and describe what the illustrations show. Introduce or review the vocabulary words. Invite the rest of the class to arrange the students in a circle so that their cards are in the proper order. Help them as necessary to determine what needs to happen before or after a particular card. (Optional) Divide the class into pairs or groups, giving each a set of cards to arrange in order in a cycle. Explain that students will be acting out the cycle of growing and eating food through a relay game. In the Garden 1. Designate a starting line, and place at it the two yardsticks or strips of cardboard with the clothespins. 2. Divide the class into two teams, and have them line up behind the starting line. 3. Explain that students will be looking for elements of the seed to table cycle in the garden and using clothespins to mark them. Remind students to be careful not to hurt the garden plants and other garden rules (such as no running). 4. On your signal, the first student in each team will grab the first clothespin from their team s yardstick or cardboard strip, and read the item written on it. They will then look in the garden for something that represents the item, tagging it by clipping the clothespin to it (or placing it next to it). Students may not choose the same item more than once. 5. After finding and tagging their item, students hurry back to the start and tag the next student in line. They then repeat the procedure until each student has had a turn. gardenschoolfoundation.org 2nd Grade - May
2nd GRAdE, MAY Garden School Foundation Curriculum 6. The first team to finish is the winning team. Have students share what items they chose to represent the different elements of the Seed to Table Cycle, then retrieve all the clothespins and place them in order on the yardstick or cardboard strip. 7. Repeat the relay as time allows. Classroom Follow-Up discussion What is something you learned by doing this activity? Why might it be important to know where our food comes from? How does it feel to be part of the seed to table cycle? How does it feel knowing that your are helping to produce food? Garden Journal Invite students to write a story using the Seed to Table Cycle cards as a guide. Remind them that since the process is a cycle, their story can start at any point. Story Time Read aloud How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? or Water, Weed, and Wait. Ask students to identify the steps of the food production cycle evident in the story. Sources The Seed to Table Cycle cards were inspired by Seed to Table, Marion Institute, accessed at http:// www.marioninstitute.org/programs/ sustainability-education-initiative/ seed-to-table; and the relay game by Weed Identification Relay, Invasives: Plants on the Move, Oregon Natural Resources Education Program, http:// weedinvasion.org/pdfs/identification/ weed_identification_relay.pdf. Resources How Did That Get In My Lunchbox? The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth and Lucia Gaggiotti. This book is a colorfully illustrated journey of the making of a child s lunch from farms and orchards, through harvesting, to the factory processing the foods. Water, Weed, and Wait by Edith Hope Fine and Angela Helpin. 2010. The children at Pepper Lane Elementary, along with their teacher Miss Marigold and members of their community, work to turn an unpromising patch in the schoolyard into a bountiful garden. gardenschoolfoundation.org 2nd Grade - May
Student Page Seed-to-Table Cycle ARDEN CHOOL N UNDATION YECTO de la HUERTA L OUNDATION N PROYECTO de la HUERTA A gardenschoolfoundation.org 2nd Grade - May
Spinach and Strawberry Salad 2nd Grade May Makes 4 x ½ cup servings INGREDIENTS: 1 cup spinach or other greens like sorrel or Swiss chard 1/2 cup strawberries 1/4 cup almonds (toasted optional) 1/4 cup feta or goat cheese 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tbsp white wine or rice vinegar COOKING METHOD *Remember: Kids should never use knives without adult supervision always ask an adult for help. 1. Wash and dry all fresh ingredients. 2. Cut the strawberries into wedges. Roll each spinach leaf (or other green) and cut into thick strips. 4. Combine spinach, strawberries and almonds in a bowl, then crumble cheese over ingredients. 5. Whisk together vinegar, olive oil and seeds to make the dressing and drizzle over other ingredients, making sure not to put too much. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 6. Enjoy! 1/2 Tbsp poppy seeds 1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds Salt and pepper to taste CLASSROOM CONNECTIONS 1) In this recipe, the word season means (circle one): a. the time of year b. add salt and pepper c. ready to harvest d. to cook 2) In this recipe, the word whisk means (circle one): a. to add to the salad b. measure out c. combine d. throw out gardenschoolfoundation.org 2nd Grade - May
3) In this recipe, why is the dressing drizzled over the spinach? a. so that you can control how much is added b. because it s more fun c. to quickly dress the salad d. to imitate rain 4) How do you divide the syllables of the word sesame? - - 5) Which word has the same sound as the underlined letters in the word T O A S T? a. eat b. lost c. boat d. flat 6) In this recipe, is the word roll a (circle one): a. noun b. pronoun c. adjective d. verb NUTRITIONAL THEME: TURN REGULAR FOODS INTO SUPERFOODS In this recipe, instead of using iceberg lettuce, which has a very low nutrient value, we can use dark leafy greens, like spinach, chard, sorrel, kale and more! Dark leafy greens are SUPERFOODS because they pack a powerful nutrient punch without having a lot of calories. In other words, they have lots of vitamins and minerals and won t put very much stress on your body. It s a win/win situation! Add strawberries for vitamins B and C, almonds for calcium and magnesium, a little bit of cheese for protein, and a simple healthy dressing made with olive oil s unsaturated fats, and you ve got a delicious meal that will help your body function at top notch. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 1. Country of Origin: California / USA 2. Special Techniques and/or Ingredients: Poppy seeds come from a type of poppy flower called the Breadseed Poppy, which is in the same family as the California state flower that grows in many home and school gardens! 3. Spices: N/A 4. Seasonality: SPRING 5. Nutrition Facts: Spinach, like other dark green leafy vegetables, is one of the healthiest foods on the planet. It contains lots of vitamins A, C, and K, in addition to being high in Iron. It s also high in fiber, which aids in digestion and is also very important to keep your heart healthy. Strawberries are extremely high in vitamin C eight strawberries gives you enough vitamin C for the whole day, even more than an orange! Strawberries are also a powerful source of antioxidants, which are important for our bodies because they help protect our cells from damage that makes us more likely to get sick from colds and other diseases. gardenschoolfoundation.org 2nd Grade - May