"Strong communities are built around real, local food. Food we trust to nourish our bodies, the farmer, and planet."
--Kimball Musk
In the workshops designed by Growing Healthy Kids, we see
the value of taking kids to meet farmers. Sometimes it is at the local farmers
market and sometimes it is going to the farm.
Kids grow from learning where real food comes from. Kids learn by doing.
One thing these workshops have taught me is that
teaching kids what real food is and where it comes from has not been a
priority in educating children but it should be. Almost all of the kids educated through Growing Healthy Kids’
workshops have self-reported previously never going to a farmers market, let
alone a farm, before they participated in our program. These workshops have taught me that all kids
deserve opportunities to go to farms, talk to farmers, learn what is grown in
their bio-region and about real food from the people growing it.
A trip to the farm can be life-changing. Good food
is a centerpiece to a good life and connecting with the source of real food is a valuable lesson. Getting
outside and slowing down as one walks the farm is a great stress reliever. As your breath slows down, your blood pressure
relaxes. You sleep better at night with a good dose of fresh air.
Find opportunities to visit your local farmers market with
your children. Introduce yourselves to
the farmers and ask them about what they grow.
Ask them why they work so hard to grow food for total strangers. Let’s go to the farm!
Improving the health and lives of America’s children, one
child at a time.
With love and kindness,
Nancy Heinrich, MPH
Founder and Wellness Architect
