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 Trainer’s GuideFarm to Early CarePreparationMaterials NeededTrainer Guide plus slides with notesHelper to assist with cooking lesson prepParticipant Folders with the following handouts (one set for each participant plus 2 – 3 extras)Powerpoint presentation slides (notes pages)What is Farm to Preschool handoutMN seasonal produce guideRecipe set Evaluation sheet Resource sheet Extra notes page Sign-in sheet with names of registered participants (if accessible), with extra blank rows for walk-ins. Add columns for e-mail address, mailing address, organization, and one each to mark “here” and “paid”Name tags and markersMN Grown directories to hand out (optional – can ask for copies from MN Dept. of Agriculture: ) Farmers Market activity sheets, clipboards, and receipt book/small notebookDisplay: Opa! Ranch vs. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing (in clear plastic stand)Pens/pencils, one for each participant plus extrasChildren’s books – table copies (see resources slide and handout - choose a few garden/nutrition related titles)Seed ID activity – see section 7Cooking/food prep materials:Sharp chef knifeCutting boardMedium sized bowlSpoon/rubber spatulaPaper towelsSmall paper cups/bowlsPlastic knivesFood safe disposable glovesLemon zester (optional)Garlic press (optional) Ingredients for sample recipe: Opa! Veggie Pizzas (see recipe for Opa! Ranch Dip)Whole grain crackers or bagel halves (enough for each participant to sample)Variety of fresh vegetables (cherry tomatoes, broccoli, bell peppers, spinach, etc.) – can/should buy these during the farmers market tripPlain 2% Greek Yogurt Fresh dill (or dried) – can/should buy during farmers market trip1 fresh lemon or lemon juiceFresh garlic – can/should buy this during farmers market tripBlack pepper / black pepper grinderHoneyTrainer preparationGather all of the materials Copy Participant handouts, one copy for each participant plus 2 -3 extrasPlace name tags, markers, and sign-in sheet close to entranceSet up display/table copy materials and display first slide of PowerPoint presentation as participants arriveEnvironment preparationChoose a venue within walking distance of a local farmers market that will be open during training, and with access to a sink for washing vegetablesArrange classroom so participants have writing spaces such as tabletopsArrange PowerPoint where it is clearly visible to participantsArrange food preparation materials to be accessible for cooking demonstration portion of trainingTraining OverviewPrimary Core Competencies and Primary Parent Aware AreaThe primary Core Competencies, CDA Content Areas, and primary Parent Aware areas are listed here to help participants understand why these topics are part of Parent Aware, Minnesota’s quality rating and improvement system, and where they can go for further information. These may not be the only areas addressed, but they are the primary influences behind the session content.Core CompetenciesKnowledge and Competency Framework Areas II.D Promoting Physical DevelopmentVII.C Providing Healthy Nutrition CDA Content AreasContent Area I: Planning a safe, healthy learning environmentContent Area II: Steps to advance children’s physical and intellectual development Parent Aware Area VII: Health, Safety and NutritionObjectivesThis session was developed to address the following learning objectives. You can reasonably expect that, by the end of this session, actively engaged participants will be able to:Describe three benefits of purchasing local food for the health of children, families, communities, and local producersDescribe how to purchase local food for child care meals and snacksDescribe ways to incorporate local foods into healthy recipes for meals and snacksIdentify 3 key food safety procedures that need to be followed when sourcing, serving, and preserving farm fresh foods.Describe at least three ways to engage children in learning about food, nutrition, and agriculture through experiential activities and curriculumIdentify at least two additional sources for Farm to Early Care activities and curriculumTrainers should always be mindful of these objectives and be sure their delivery and feedback during the course supports the participants’ mastery.TimeSectionOverview 20 minutes(9-9:20am)IntroductionsWelcome and IntroductionsClass GuidelinesActivity – share a food memory from your childhoodReview learning objectives 20 minutes(9:20-9:40am)What is Farm to Child Care and why does it matter?Presentation Discussion/Q&A 10 minutes(9:40-9:50am)Break1 hour 20 min(9:50am-11:10am)Farmers Market field tripActivity – hands on20 minutes(11:10-11:30am)Farmers Market recapGroup discussion15 Minutes(11:30-11:45am)CACFP BriefPresentation Discussion/Q&A45 Minutes(11:45am-12:30pm)Lunch and learn - where to startPresentationDiscussion/Q&A10 Minutes(12:30-12:40pm)Break20 Minutes(12:40-1pm)Example ActivityActivity – Hands onDiscussion/Q&A30 minutes(1-1:30pm)Cooking demonstrationPresentationActivity – hands onDiscussion/Q&A15 minutes(1:30-1:45pm)Review additional resourcesPresentation15 minutes(1:45-2pm)Wrap-up (fill out evaluations)Discussion/Q&A5 Hours TotalSection 1: IntroductionsPresentation – PowerPoint Pages 1-3**NOTE** The PowerPoint presentation slides include two special fonts titled “KG Second Chances Sketch” and “KG Ten Thousand Reasons” that can be downloaded for free here: and here: . This is completely optional.DO: Welcome the participants to the training. Introduce yourself telling the participants your name and a little bit about your background as a trainer and in early childhood education, and organization you work for.Go over the training outline/schedule briefly and read through the learning objectives. Next, survey the participants to find out a bit about the group. Ask them to raise their hands for the area that best describes the type of care they provide: home based / center based / otherIntroduce the ice breaker: ask participants to introduce themselves and share a food memory from their childhoodExplain why we use that question as an ice-breaker – to illustrate that early childhood food experiences really do have an impact on everyone, which is why the topic of today’s training is so important when we think about encouraging lifelong healthy eating behaviors. Remind participants that questions and sharing are encouraged and welcomed. Participants can pass on an activity but are encouraged to try everything and to participate actively.Section 2: What is Farm to Early Care and Why Does it Matter?Presentation: PowerPoint pages 4-8DO: Follow slide notes After slide 4 (definition of Farm to Early Care), ask if anyone is doing some of these things already (show of hands - local food meals/snacks, nutrition themed story time/games/activities, cooking with kids, gardening). Ask if anyone would like to share their experience with the classSAY: Great, thanks for sharing, it sounds like we will be able to learn from each other quite a bit as we work our way through the trainingSlide Notes:Slide #4: First: Early Care means more than just home and center based child care, but anywhere where early childhood care or education takes place – includes preschool and Head StartFarm to Early Care is not a set program with specific activities to follow, but rather a collection of kinds of activities, which we will discuss.Three parts of Farm to Early Care: Using locally grown foods in meals and snacks Local food themes included in curriculum and activities - arts and crafts, stories, games, and activities that include nutrition, agriculture, gardening, environmental stewardship GardeningFarm to Early Care goals are multi-level and include: ?influencing the eating habits of young children while their preferences are forming; creating healthy lifestyles through good nutrition and experiential opportunities such as gardening; improving healthy food access at home and within the community; and ultimately influencing policies to address the childhood obesity epidemic through a local food lens. Program activities can take an environmental and systems change approach by serving preschoolers, teachers and child care providers, parents and family members, as well as communities.?Program components can include the following: sourcing local foods in school snacks and meals; promoting and increasing access to local foods for providers and families; offering nutrition and/or garden-based curricula; school gardening; in-class food preparation and taste testing; field trips to farms, farmers’ markets and community gardens; parent workshops; implementing preschool wellness policies which address Farm to Preschool principles; and influencing policies at the local, state or national level.Slide #5: Children Benefit From healthier eating habits:Eat more fruits and vegetables at school and homeConsume less unhealthy foods (like soda and chips)Greater willingness to try new and healthier foodsAsk their families to make healthier purchases at the grocery storeIncreased knowledge and understanding of fruits and vegetables, healthy eating, gardening, agriculture/food system, the environment, the food system, and seasonalityImproved overall social skills, self-esteem, and classroom behavior*Citation: National Farm to School Network. (2020). The Benefits of Farm to School. Retrieved from: #6: Farmers benefit: Opens new markets for farmers, ranchers, fishers, food processors and manufacturersOpportunity to educate children on where their food comes fromPositive relationships with schools/daycares, children, and communitiesNew markets for farm productsIncreased reliability of salesShortened supply chain => local control, transparency, and potential environmental benefitsFacL According to the most recent USDA census, MN school districts invested $12.3 million in local food, spending an average of approximately 13% of their budgets on local products.*Citations: National Farm to School Network. (2020). The Benefits of Farm to School. Retrieved from: . Farm to School Census: Minnesota. Retrieved from: #7: Schools benefit:Increased student meal participation = increased revenue (average +9%)Improved food service staff motivation and moraleIncreased knowledge and interest in local food preparation, seasonal recipes Strengthened relationships between food service staff and teachersPositive changes in teacher’s diets, lifestyles, and attitudes about integrating farm to school related information into curriculumParents benefit:Use more healthy foods in family meals and snacksMore confident in guiding children to make healthier choicesDevelop better shopping habits with increased purchasing of healthy and local foodsCommunity-at-large benefits:Increased community-wide awareness and interest in purchasing and supporting local foodsIncreased economic activity ? each $1 invested into F2S stimulates an additional $2.16 of local economic activity via the multiplier effect Strengthened state food economyImproved household food securityCreation and maintenance of jobs ? for every job created by school district purchasing of local foods, additional activity would create another 1.67 jobs in the community*Citation: National Farm to School Network. (2020). The Benefits of Farm to School. Retrieved from: #8: Why Farm to Early Care? Perfect ageAccording to a study by Birch, L., children's food and taste preferences develop most rigorously between the ages of three and five, and these younger children are more willing to try new foods than older children, which presents an opportunity to introduce a wide variety of foods, textures, and flavors of healthy foods. Attitudes towards foods that are shaped at this time in life are strong determinants of later eating behaviors; Perfect window of opportunity for parents and caregivers to positively influence the development of food habits, preferences, attitudes, and beliefs that will last the entire life. Preschoolers suffer from high rates of obesity and low consumption of fruits and vegetables; Improve ability to learn: Healthy diets among children can improve their ability to learn. Numerous studies demonstrate the link between proper nutrition and cognitive development in young children (Berkenkamp & Mader), so this is the critical time to provide the best fuel for growing bodies and minds. Experiential learning: Farm to Early Care programs also provide an opportunity for integrating experiential learning opportunities into early care programs. They get to experience how food grows, how it looks, tastes, feels, sounds, and smells. Bringing the local food connection to life for children through activities and games can help reinforce the message by allowing children to take ownership of the concept of healthy eating and food values. There is more flexibility with programming/curriculum in child care environments, so providers are generally able to test out these experiential learning opportunitiesMajority of time in daycare:Many preschoolers consume the majority of their daily nutrients in childcare - early care settings present an opportunity to positively influence how children eat and how they understand and value food before they reach kindergartenMore reliant on parents and caregivers:More so than any other age group, they rely on parents and caregivers to create their food and activity environmentsDon’t have much say in where, when, and what they eat – caregivers can capitalize on their responsibility to provide healthy and positive eating environments*Sourced Cited: 1) Leann L. Birch, “Development of Food Preferences,” Annual Review of Nutrition, (July 1999): Vol. 19:41–62.2) Berkenkamp, J. & Mader, L. (June 2012). "Farm to Childcare: Opportunities and Challenges for Connecting Young Children with Local Foods and Farmers." Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.Section 3: Farmers Market Field TripPresentation: PowerPoint slide 9Presenter notes: The activity sheets include items for participants to purchase at the farmers market. The items listed will be used in the cooking lesson recipe later in the day. To facilitate farmers market purchases during the pilot training, we used a company credit card to purchase tokens from the information booth and gave each group an appropriate number of tokens. We purchased $30 worth of tokens, which was more than enough; $15 would have been adequate. The Farmers Market vendors gave the participants cash change for their purchases, and any left-over money was returned to the trainer. SAY: Next, we are going to walk over to the farmers market and we have activities for all of you to do while we are there. First of all, who has been to this farmers market before? **Depending on the weather, you might add something to remind them to “dress appropriately”**Presenter Note: There are several goals to the farmers market visit – To give participants an idea of what is available at the market on a given dayTo allow participants to generate some ideas on how to incorporate local foods into meals and snacks, what kids would like, and how to do so on a small budget (make price comparisons)To allow participants to generate some ideas for activities they could do with kids on a farmers market field tripTo introduce participants to any special features of this particular farmers market – is there a Market Bucks program here? Can SNAP participants use their benefits here? Is there a way to use a credit card to buy products from vendors?To give participants practice talking with farmers about their farm and farm products – growing practices, where their farm is, where else they sell their products, etc.DO: Divide the group into three or four groups and select a group leader to take notes while at the market. Give the group leader a clipboard with their group’s farmers market activity sheets attached. (If there are only three groups, make sure to purchase the ingredients assigned to the missing group at the market)SAY: As you can see, we are going to complete a little activity while we are at the market. First, we will lead you to the information booth, where we will speak with the information booth staff about any SNAP benefit programs they participate in, or other token programs. (Some markets have a credit-card token system where you can use a credit card to purchase tokens to use at the booths, and get change in cash from the vendors). Next, we will split up into our groups and complete the tasks on the list. We will only have about 45 minutes at the market, so spend your time wisely! If you want to do some shopping for yourself while at the market, make sure to bring some money with.DO: When you arrive at the market, show them to the information booth and ask the person manning the booth to show the group SNAP benefits / credit card programs, etc., if applicable. Send groups out to complete the tasks on their activity sheets.SAY: You have 45 minutes to explore the market and complete your tasks as a group. Meet me back at the entrance to the market at XX o’clock and we will walk back together.Section 4: Farmers Market Field Trip RecapPresentation: PowerPoint slide 10DO: Ask participants to bring their ingredients to the cooking prep area. Ask a member from each group to share what they found with the large group. Hold up the produce they purchased while they are speaking about them.SAY: Great, sounds like you all had a great experience getting to know the market. Take a look at the additional discussion questions on the board:What is one fun activity you could do with kids at the farmers market?What is something you expected and did see at the farmers market?What is something that surprised you or you didn’t expect to encounter during the farmers market visit?DO: Thank them for participating and ask if there are any questions before we move onSection 5: Child and Adult Care Food Program BriefPresentation: PowerPoint slides 11-12SAY: Who’s heard of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act? Does anyone want to try to explain it to the group?..... Great explanation! This act included quite a few changes to USDA Nutrition Programs, including the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Farm to Early Care can be one way to help meet CACFP fruit and vegetable regulations.DO: Elaborate as needed with information in slide notes. Go to Slide 12.SAY: Here are the fruit and vegetable subgroups by color - best practice recommendations for the CACFP recommend one serving from each of these categories be served each week. Can anyone identify which vegetables are pictured on this slide, and which subgroup they belong to? DO: Briefly cover purchasing and processing rules for CACFP – refer to handout Slide Notes: Slide #11: Healthy, Hunger Free Kids ActUSDA to develop CACFP meals and snacks in child care settings updated meal pattern and nutrition standards for CACFP meals and snacks in child care settings that are consistent with the Dietary Guidelines, current relevant science, and recommendations from appropriate, authoritative agencies or organizations.? CACFP regulations – updated in 2017 The meal pattern to encourages participating child care centers and family child care homes to offer healthier meals and snacks with an emphasis on increasing the consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and low-fat and nonfat dairy and lean protein foods, and to provide opportunities for adequate physical activity to Early Care activities can support meeting fruit and vegetable regulations.Slide #12: CACFPLook for zucchini – notice it is not listed in dark green. What seems to be the pattern of the dark green category? Can the group ID the vegetables pictures?Top left – Turnips (other category)Middle left – Hubbard Squash (red/orange category – orange on the inside)Bottom left – Watercress (dark green category) – in the mustard family (cruciferae) (radish is here too)Top right – pinto beans (dry beans and peas category)Middle right – bok choy (dark green category) Bottom right – brussels sprouts (other category)Section 6: Lunch and Learn – where to start?Presentation: PowerPoint Slides 13-18Slide 13 & 14: Step 1DO: Ask the group where they might find local foods to buy for their child care program. SAY: Great, here is a list of ways you can find local food to purchase for your early care setting. DO: Read off the list and pause at CSAs. Ask if anyone knows what a CSA is or have been a CSA member before? Explain what they are and why they could be a great option for early care providers. (See slide notes) Follow along with the rest of the slide notes in the PP presentation. Slide Notes:Slide #13: CSAs Many people find CSA membership to be a great way to learn about and try new fruits and vegetables. Because each box is unique and full of surprises, it challenges members to be creative with new recipes! Many CSA farms offer recipes and tips for how to prepare each week’s box of produce, especially the produce that might be new to their members. Think how exciting the “box opening” will be for your child care kids! This method also creates financial stability for the farmer – paying up front creates a nice cushion of support for the season. General advice= Start small E.g., fruit. Whole fruit requires no extra processing, is easily added as a side dish or healthy dessert without having to change the main menuFirst step= Review menus/regulations - Review center menus, find out what they serve and how, where do they make their purchases, who is their main supplier (may vary much from rural to urban, large to small). Identify the lowest hanging fruit. Shortlist of Seasonal Swap Out Options. Pick a handful of items you’re regularly buying and have a local farmer or distributor identify which are regionally available. Swap those handful of items for locally-grown goods while they’re in season. Start with a focused and manageable short list of produce.Highlight One Component of the Menu. Choose one component of your menu to feature local produce. For instance, you can create a Seasonal Salad Bar, Local Fruit Bar, or Local Lunch of the mit To Communicate with Farmers. May not be used to the conventions. Communicate your expectations to the farmer who can then consider adjusting their practices if you demonstrate commitment (e.g., varied sizes, overripe, cleaner). Be Flexible. This is Different. While communicating your essential expectations is recommended, it is also important to consider which conventions you can live without. (For instance, while you may be used to having all your peaches the same exact size, is that really necessary for all your recipes?) Remaining flexible with sizing and coloring can be a huge help to working with local farmers.Potential Challenge ?Too much $$ - Set Financial Guidelines. Consider setting a maximum dollar or cost per serving amount, or approve the cost for a short-list of items. Rough estimate for a basket of items is a 20% increase. Spending more on local food is about investing in a healthier, more sustainable, equitable & better tasting food system.Remember that buying at the height of the season reduces the cost, so you’ll want to make sure the menu is aligned with local seasonality.Slide #14: Introducing new foods to children, dealing with picky eaters: Positive environment – don’t make eating a chore, and avoid rewarding good behavior or a clean plate with foods of any kind. Especially avoid forcing a child to finish the “healthy foods” to get to their dessert or sweets – this can make the healthy food seem like punishment and force the child to eat when they are fullCater to their preferences – serve the new food with something that is already familiar to them, and they already like. Prepare new foods similarly to dishes they already like (use same spice/flavor profiles)Role model – eat the same meal/snack as the children, and avoid eating unhealthy foods/beverages around them. They will be much more likely to eat the healthy options if you do as well. Start with small portions - put a very small portion on the plate to try (like two peas). Young children may be concerned that they won’t like the new food, so help them by putting a small amount on their plates – it looks less overwhelmingKeep offering new foods - it can take 5-15 tries for a child to accept a new food. Ellyn Satter’s Division of responsibilities between providers and kids: Providers decide when, where, and what kids eat. Kids decide how much and whetherParent/caregiver’s feeding jobs:Choose and prepare the foodProvide regular meals and snacksMake eating times pleasantShow children what they have to learn about food and mealtime behaviorBe considerate of children’s food inexperience without catering to likes and dislikesLet children grow up to get bodies that are right for themChildren's eating jobs:Children will eatThey will eat the amount they needThey will learn to eat the food their parents eatThey will grow predictablyThey will learn to behave well at mealtimeSlide 15: Step 2DO: Follow along with slide notes. Ask if anyone does anything like this in their early care program already, and ask them to share with the group. Introduce the books you brought along and some other activity ideas from resource materials. Slide Notes: This is key – providing activities that focus on nutrition, gardening, and agriculture themes creates buy-in through fun games and activities. Kids are much more likely to want to try something if they have participated in some sort of activity that involves that new food. Try offering the new food outside the meal time – let them touch, smell, and see them inside and out before asking kids to taste them. You can make it a classroom lesson (describe how they look and feel) and then have children who are interested in trying the new food take a taste and share their perceptions. This method creates a desirability to try the new food, and puts less pressure on the children to try something completely foreign at meal/snack time. Explain some lessons from Got Dirt?, Grow it! Try it! Like it!, or other resourcesSlide 16: Step 3SAY: Gardening and/or farm field trips really bring this message to life for kids in a real life context. Gardening is one of the easiest activities to take on – it can be as small as one container garden with herbs inside. DO: Share some example gardening success stories from “Got Dirt” SAY: Don’t worry if you don’t know how to garden, that’s ok, it’s not rocket science. There are plenty of resources out there, and we have some on the resource table for you to look at, and are available for free online. One local resource is master gardeners in your area – they are volunteers who are a wealth of knowledge on gardening.DO: Mention some of the farms that offer field trips – some examples in the resources section of the reading document. If they are not within a reasonable distance, simply talk about what kinds of activities are offered. Share any farms you know of in the area that offer tours/children’s activities. Slide Notes:Gardening – includes backyard gardening and container gardening (can do in the winter)Promotes exploration and discoveryGreat fit with experiential educationMotivates and increases physical activityShare some of the gardening stories from the “Got Dirt?” resourceFarm tours: Try to go to the farm that supplies the food to your programMake sure you have access to bathroomsDress appropriately and come prepared (water, name tags, sunscreen)Provide authentic experiences – let the children do something real, like plant or weed or harvestMake an inclement weather planDURING THE BREAK: During this time, set up your helper with a station for chopping vegetables and preparing food prep stations for 2-3 people for the cooking demonstration. They can be doing this throughout the next section of the training. Slide 17: VideoDO: Tell the group that this video gives a nice snap-shot of a well-rounded Farm to Child Care program in Hawaii called Farm to Keiki. After the video, ask the group what they thought, if they had any questions/comments.Slide 18: Tips for SuccessDO: Go through this list and follow slide notesSlide Notes:Repetition is key: sometimes kids need to try new foods up to 15 times to acquire a taste for it. Be patient and keep trying. This also applies to messaging and key concepts – sometimes we need to hear things multiple times, and in different ways, for it to sink in. (Hence the repetition in this training)Create a positive environment: don’t make eating a chore, and avoid rewarding good behavior or a clean plate with foods of any kind. Especially avoid forcing a child to finish the “healthy foods” to get to their dessert or sweets – this can make the healthy food seem like punishment and force the child to eat when they are fullRole model positive behaviors: eat the same meal/snack as the children, and avoid eating unhealthy foods/beverages around them. They will be much more likely to eat the healthy options if you do as well. Hear it, see it, do it: Ancient Chinese proverb (Confucius) that says “If you hear something, you will forget it, if you see something, you will remember it, and if you do something, you will understand it” Hear it: talking about fruits and vegetables, why they are good for kids, where they come fromHear & see it: reading a book about nutrition, gardening, cooking, etc.Do it: taste testing, cooking/preparing food together, gardening, going to the farmers market and/or farmGardening: reinforces lessons learned at the farm and classroom, and can substitute for farm trips when it isn’t feasible. Main goal is to help children understand that much of their food they eat grows in the ground, which usually adds a bonus of getting kids more excited about trying those foods. Farm / farmers market visits: creates a “local food story,” learning how all food starts at the farm, how food grows, what the farmer needs to help it grow and how food gets from the farm to their tables. Reinforces what they are learning in the classroom.Parents and guardians: Invite them to join activities and lessons (farm trips, gardening)Parents can share in the experience with their kids, and see first hand how excited their children are about preparing and eating fruits and vegetables. Gives them confidence to purchase and prepare healthy foods at home. Continuing these food habits at home reinforces positive behaviors for the preschool child as well as the entire family. Most effective way to communicate with parents is face to faceFliers and newsletters should only contain essential informationDon’t be discouraged if they don’t buy in at first, over time they will likely come around. Word of mouth will encourage others to join.Consider soliciting parent input to shape the program by hosting parent groups for discussionEngage community:Look around and start talking to organizations who might have similar goals (local nonprofits organizations, local public health/SHIP, master gardeners, student groups, faith based organizations, health care providers, gardening centers)Consider writing an article for the local newspaper or blogMight be surprised how interested people are in preschool nutrition and physical activity educationConsider bringing in farmers, Registered Dietitians, local public health professionals, nurses, doctors, firemen, athletes, and chefs into the classroom for a “healthy chat” These guests can be parents or local community members. When children see adults they know and respect talking about the value of eating fruits and vegetables, being physically active, and eating nutritious foods, they are more likely to embrace healthy eating behaviorsSection 7: Activity – Guess that seed!Presentation: PowerPoint Slide 20DO: Split the group into two and give each group a set of seeds and seed packets and a sheet of paper. Tell them to number the paper according to how many kinds of seeds there are and match the name of each seed/plant next to the corresponding number.Example: I made two sets of seeds, seven kinds each, and put each kind in one slot of a 7-slot bead organized I bought at JoAnn Fabric. I made sure to include some obvious seeds (pumpkin, cucumber, bush beans), and some difficult ones (beets, coriander, kale).DO: After the groups have made their best attempt at guessing the seeds, tell them the answers and see if they were correct. Ask the group if they can think of a variation of this game that would be easier for very young children?Example (taken from UEPI’s Harvest of the Month Curriculum):Seed Card Matching GameSave and dry seeds from various vegetables or fruits such as a cucumber, bell pepper or apple.Glue the seeds onto a picture card of a tomato and any other vegetable or fruit you have seeds for (a simple drawing is fine).Cover the picture and seeds with clear contact paper or tape to make a sturdy picture card.Make smaller cards that have the seeds without the pictures.See if the children can match the seed cards to the picture/seed cards.Provide magnifying glasses so children can see the seeds more clearly.Section 8: Mini Cooking LessonPresentation: PowerPoint Slide 21DO: Briefly go over the developmental / behavioral benefits of offering cooking lessons (see slide notes). Divide the participants into small groups (2-3 each) and have your helper assist with passing out a food prep station for each group. Each station should contain the following:Paper towel for each person2-3 crackers or ? whole wheat bagel for each person A plastic knife for each person1-2 cherry tomatoes for each person1-2 leaves of spinach for each personOne small cup/bowl of each chopped vegetableDO: Ask the group to wait until the end of the cooking demonstration to touch/eat anything at their station. Tell them what you will be making today: Opa! Ranch Dip, and show them the ingredients you will be using. Tell them this dip is great for raw vegetables, sweet potato fries, and the sauce for the mini veggie pizzas we will be making.While you are preparing the recipe, talk about the difference in nutritional content of this dip vs. Ranch dressing. Pass around the display sheet so they can see the difference for themselves.NOTES: Make sure to wear gloves during this presentation, according to the MN food code. Roll the lemon while pushing down on it to release the juices, explain why you are doing this (to release the juices), and tell them that you can also put the whole lemon in the microwave for about 20 seconds to get the same result. Why 2% plain Greek yogurt? It has a better mouth feel than the lower fat options, although it is perfectly fine to choose those.Equipment alternatives:Lemon juicer: the group does not have a lemon squeezer, no problem, just squeeze the juice into your washed, cupped hand (use gloves), to catch the seedsGarlic press: finely chop garlic using a sharp chef’s knife (why sharp? LESS chance of cutting yourself as you are applying less pressure and less chance of the knife slipping out)Lemon zester – peel small chunks of lemon rind from the outside of the lemon using a sharp knife, and mince the peelings very smallDO: Tell the group the recipe for the Opa! Ranch Dip is in their recipe packets in their folders, along with some other kid friendly recipes to try at their setting.Tell them that you can substitute the Greek yogurt with Silk Soy Yogurt for children who are lactose intolerant or have dairy allergies. Ask the group if they have tried other healthy dip alternatives, and to share with the group. Discuss the age-appropriate things they can have kids help with during food prep (see slide) IF TIME: go over food safety things to keep in mind when cooking (with kids or without; see slide notes)When the dip is finished, dish it out into small cups/bowls and pass around to each group. Tell them to go ahead and spread the dip onto their crackers/bagels and add their favorite veggies on top of that, and/or go ahead and dip their veggies without the crackers. Ask them what they think, and if they have any questions, comments, or if any other ideas come to mind?Slide Notes: Recipe demo: Opa! Veggie Pizzas! (INTRODUCE OTHER RECIPE IDEAS in FOLDERS)Preparing recipes together: - helps children develop fine motor skills - practice taking turns - using table manners - handling food safely - learning proper use of tools such as plastic knives, graters, and rolling pinsSection 9: ResourcesPresentation: PowerPoint Slides 22-23DO: Go over the resources slides and give them a short synopsis of each one. Tell them to refer to their resources handout for links to the resources online. SAY: Does anyone use or know of any resources to add to this list and the one in your handout, that others might find useful? Feel free to look around at the table copies and other handouts available today. Section 10: Wrap-up & EvaluationsPresentation: PowerPoint Slide 24SAY: We made it to the end of the training, I want to thank you for coming and participating in the activities today, I hope you learned something! Please take a few minutes to fill out the evaluation sheet in your folder, and return them to me before you leave.Are there any last questions, comments, etc. before we wrap up? Thanks again, and feel free to snack on the leftover veggies and dip on your way out. ................
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