Harvest of the Month provides lessons and activities for students, families, and the community to engage in hands-on opportunities to explore, taste, and learn about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and being active every day.

Harvest of the Month resources are based on the USDA and DHHS 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Aims

• Increase access to fruits and vegetables through school meal programs, farm to school programs, classroom lessons, school gardens, and other community-based locations.
• Increase students’ preference for fruits and vegetables.
• Increase consumption of locally grown food items by connecting growers to their communities through schools.
• Increase daily physical activity and understand why it is important.
• Expand familiarity with California grown fruits and vegetables, local farmers, and how food travels from the farm to our plates.

Studies show that eating nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables can help students do better in school.1

1.MacLellan D, Taylor J, Wood K, Food intake and academic performance among adolescents. Can J Diet Pract Res. 2008;69(3):141-144.  Forence MD, Asbridge M, Veugelers PJ. Diet quality and academic performance. J Sch Health. 2008;78(4): 209-215.

Connecting classroom, cafeteria, garden, family, and community

• Classroom – Teachers conduct Harvest of the Month taste tests and lessons in the classroom.
• Cafeteria – Locally grown produce is featured on the salad bar.
• Garden – Gardens can provide produce for Harvest of the Month classroom taste tests and can be used to show students how produce grows.
• Home – Harvest of the Month offers newsletters in various languages for parents.
• Community – Schools support Farm to School and Farm to Fork by purchasing fresh produce from local farms.