Seed To Table
"Carrots come from the ground"
-5th grade student
Our youth need to be connected back to real, local and nutrient rich food. A systemic change needs to occur in our public school systems - a change that involves teachers, students, parents and communities.
Current Schools that SEI is working in,
Hayden McFadden Elementary School
New Bedford, MA
New Bedford Global Learning Public Charter School
New Bedford, MA
Sippican Elementary School
Southeastern Vocational Technical High School
Wareham Middle School
Many youth, especially urban, are so disconnected from a knowledge of where their food comes from, the fact that a carrot comes from the ground is shocking. They become curious and informed in the food system as they prepare beds, plant seeds and seedlings, tend crops, harvest produce and eat it though the Sustainability Education Initiative. The desire to expand their comfort zones and try new things opens more doors than imagined.
Through these engaging activities, students begin to understand the cycle of food production. Vegetables, grains, and fruits, grown in soil rich with the compost of last year's harvest, are elements of seasonal recipes prepared by students in the kitchen. Students sit together to eat at tables set with flowers from the garden, adults facilitate conversation, and cleanup is a collective responsibility. The Seed to Table experience exposes children to food production, ecology, and nutrition, and fosters an appreciation of meaningful work, and of fresh and natural food.
Students learn about the connection between what they eat and where it comes from, with the goal of fostering environmental stewardship and revolutionizing the school lunch program. Linking garden and kitchen activities with classroom lessons using ecological principles, students develop a deep understanding and appreciation of how nature sustains life.
Download the free pdf guide on planning your own School Garden.
This guide introduces a friendly and easily digestible approach to school gardens.
The guide includes:
• Step by step instructions on how to start a school garden, everything from choosing a plot to composting.
• Garden activities and literature.
• Curriculum resources.
• Cooking recipes and much more!
Thank you to the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture and its partners for creating this guide.
If you would like to help support the goals of the Seed to Table Program, please donate here.
Donate by mail
Please make checks made payable to the "Marion Institute" with "Seed to Table" noted in the memo line and send to:
Seed to Table
c/o Marion Institute
202 Spring St.
Marion, MA 02738
Sustainable Education and Youth Coordinator