Teaching aims to equip children with the life skills they need to lead successful, healthy, and fulfilling lives. It does this by showing them how; giving them opportunities to practice; and—perhaps most powerfully—inviting them to share what they’ve learned with others.
Often, the most impactful learning happens in this last step, when students step into the role of teacher themselves.
That’s what made a recent project at Academy School so special.
Thanks to a Community Schools Foundation Grant from the Vermont Agency of Education, Lisa Nichols of the Brattleboro Food Co-op, with support from the Food Connects Farm to School team, launched an innovative take-home cooking kit project this spring.
Each student received a packed lunch cooler filled with fresh ingredients and a simple, multilingual recipe—everything they needed to be the chef for their family. The first round featured fruit and cheese skewers, led by Academy's youngest learners. It gave students the chance not only to prepare a healthy snack but to nourish their families and build confidence in the kitchen.
Within each kit contained all the ingredients to create an enriching experience for families– local Cabot cheese, fresh blueberries, apples and oranges all created a window for students to share a little of what they learn in the rich Farm to School programming happening at Academy. More importantly, they provided a hands-on opportunity for students to take the lead, experience food in an empowering way, and develop a deeper sense of ownership over their choices.
At its core, Farm to School is about sparking curiosity and creating space for meaningful exploration in the choices we make around food and the community. When students are invited to cook, taste, test, and share, they build real-world skills and find joy in the process—learning what they like, what they don’t, and what it feels like to care for others through food.
These are some of the strongest motivators of learning because they ignite the passion within the student that draws them to the experiences that best resonate with them.
Cooking with your family is just one example of the many ways Farm to School programming hopes to make this type of real, meaningful learning possible—and Food Connects couldn’t have been prouder to help make it happen.
By Devan Monette