Delicious

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5th Grade Students at Hexter Elementary planted onions, spinach, lettuce, carrots, and radishes.  Throughout the spring the students maintained their vegetables watering, fertilizing, weeding and controlling pest. (All organic materials were used for fertilization and pest control.)  During the last week of May, the students harvested their veggies and made a salad for everyone to enjoy.  As the students harvested their vegetables they reviewed which part of the plant they were about to consume.  For example the students identified the lettuce as the leaf, the onion as a modified stem, and the carrot as a root. Once the salad was made, the students ate.  It was a thumbs up from everybody!!  This activity reinforced the idea that healthy eating can taste good.  Unfortunately many students shy away from choosing salads as a healthy option merely because of a pre-conceived notion that all vegetables are "yucky or nasty."  This activity not only fostered a sense of ownership but also broke down the wall that kept students from choosing healthy foods.