Below are some extra ideas on how you can celebrate with us all month long.

Activities for K-12 and Early Care and Education (ECE) Educators:

• Visit a farm, a local farmers market, or a pumpkin patch with your students. If you can’t get to the farm, ask the farmer to come to your classroom for a visit.
• Invite your local legislators to see your farm to school programming. Building relationships with your legislators is a great way to support systemic changes that can further farm to school programs. If you plan to showcase how you procure and serve local food in your school meals or snacks, share this with your legislators and invite them to join in on the fun.
• Ask children and families to share their family food traditions and favorite recipes to create a class cookbook.
• If you have a middle or high school FFA program, consider creating a cross-age teaching program that allows the middle and/or high school students to teach farm to school lessons to the younger grades.
• Utilize the Oklahoma Tasteful Harvest Resources to help support your educational activities in the classroom and cafeteria when celebrating your local Lunch Crunch.
• Reach an accurate ag book to your students. Check out the Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom website for additional classroom resources and activities.
• Plant seeds and watch them grow! Sing the plants part song with your students (to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes): “Roots, Stem, Leaves and Flowers, Leaves and Flowers (Repeat) / Flowers grow to Fruits then drop their Seeds / Root, Stem, Leaves and Flowers, Leaves and Flowers.”

Activities for Farmers and Growers:

• Host a tour of your farm for students or visit a classroom to discuss your farming operation.
• Meet a school food service director and start to build a working relationship. A great first question to ask is “What local foods would you be interested in purchasing and serving?”
• If your products are already being served in schools/ECEs, this is a great time to plan a visit to the cafeteria and share about your partnership.
• Work with your school to create a “farmer trading card.” Include your picture and some farm stats (what you grow, how many acres, farm animals, etc.) so students can get to know who grew their food.

Activities for Child Nutrition Program Operators, School Administration & Other School Staff:

• Invite a classroom at your school to take a field trip through the school kitchen.
• Request a free copy of the Oklahoma Tasteful Harvest Cookbook and try out a new recipe using local foods.
• Play the “On My Plate” song during lunchtime and encourage students to dance along to the fun beat.
• Request a free Tasteful Harvest Poster Set and display these posters around your cafeteria.
• Connect with a new producer in your area and start to build a new partnership.
• Invite a farmer or food producer to eat with students in the lunchroom.
• Host an after-school cooking club in the cafeteria!
• Make a bulletin board celebrating farmers and local food.
• Focus in-service training time on a farm to school topic, such as teaching core curriculum with hand-on lessons in a garden classroom or edible education.
• Propose adding farm to school or local purchasing policies to your District Wellness Policy.
• Educate yourself and others on the positive benefits of hands-on learning in school gardens.
• School nurses, librarians, and administrative support staff can all champion farm to school efforts. Librarians can feature food systems literature during October’s Farm to School Month, and school nurses can support farm to school as a tool for growing healthier students.
• Eat in the cafeteria with the students.