The Great Garden Detective Adventure

Description

This standards-based curriculum integrates gardening experiences and nutrition education to empower children to make healthful food choices and develop an awareness of how fruits and vegetables are grown. Exploratory lessons are built around five easy-to-grow vegetables and two fruits, and provide students with the opportunity to learn about and harvest fruits and vegetables, share and taste simple recipes, support a healthy school environment, and take the information home. The 11 interactive lessons include connections to health, mathematics, English language arts, and science standards. '

What’s Inside

Lessons include a summary with key messages, garden connection, school food service connection, home connection, and community connection. Each lesson includes teacher background and vocabulary, student handouts and materials, and a newsletter with information and activities for parents. The lesson is divided into sections, including Standards, Learning Objectives, Time, Materials, Preparation, and a step-by-step Instructional Process. Bulletin board materials, veggie dice, fruit and vegetable flash cards, and 10 issues of Garden Detective News for parents or caregivers are included in the set.

Activity Highlight

In Lesson 5, Trace the Fruit and Vegetable Trail, students read a story about how fruits and vegetables are grown and transported from the farm to school or home. Activities include answering questions and completing mathematics questions to determine the cost and amount of vegetables needed to prepare recipes at school and home.  

• Key Content Areas: Cafeteria Connections, Food Literacy and Cooking Activities, Garden-based, Healthy School Environment, Integrated Subjects, MyPlate, Parent/Family Involvement, and Physical Activity

• Originator of Resources: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service

• User of Resource: Teachers

• Audience: Grades 3–4

• Languages: English

• Number of lessons: 11 lessons

• Amount of time per lesson: 50–120 minutes

• Format: Downloadable or Child Nutrition Program Operators can request a printed version

Resource

To access the curriculum, visit the USDA The Great Garden Detective Adventure: A Standards-based Gardening Nutrition Curriculum for Grades 3 and 4 web page .

Contacts

If you have any questions, please contact the USDA at TeamNutrition@usda.gov.