Grant Proposal for Colchester Elementary School Grade 2 Students

The Colchester Agriculture
Commission has submitted a grant
proposal for Colchester Elementary
School Grade 2 students. This newly
launched Connecticut Grown for
Connecticut Kids Grant Program
administered by Connecticut
Department of Agriculture (DoAg)
in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education
(CSDE) and the Connecticut Farm to School Collaborative (FTSC). The
pilot program will be funded for two years with a total of $500,000
through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

Established under P.A. 21-0002,S. 364, Connecticut Grown for
Connecticut Kids Grant (CTG4CTK Grant) will be administered by
Department of Agriculture through a combination of financial and
technical assistance to help develop farm-to-school programs that will:
    1.   allow educators to use hands-on educational techniques to teach
         students about nutrition and farm-to-school connections,
    2.   sustain relationships with local farmers and producers,
    3.   enrich the educational experience of students, and
    4.   improve the health of children in the state.

The proposed program has been designed to allow for four lessons per class:

   Fruits and vegetables

 ENDURING UNDERSTANDING(S)                    ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S)

        Fruits and vegetables are an                 How does one distinguish between a
         essential part of the human diet.             fruit and a vegetable?
        Nutritional qualities important in           What makes fruits and vegetables an
         the selection of fruits and                   essential food source?
         vegetables.                                  What role does quality exhibit in
        Fruits and vegetables allow for a             fruits and vegetables preparation?
         balanced dietary plan


        Students will learn to plant seeds through a hands-on activity in class
         for later transplanting into pots to take home, (Basil or cilantro)
        Identifying and selecting and fruits and vegetables for healthy snacks
          Hands-on identification activity
        Preparation of samples of healthy snacks (if allowed)
          Taste and smell testing
   Dairy products
     Define dairy products and their origin using a combination of
        worksheets and discussion of their personal preference
     Production of dairy products
         Video field trip to a dairy farm
         Sampling (if allowed)

   Eggs and chickens
     Where do eggs come from?
     How are hens kept? What about roosters?
     Demonstration of egg candling
     Eggs from hens to the table video

   MyPlate
     Introduce the MyPlate plan using examples of healthy and unhealthy
       food choices
     Create individualized MyPlates using their personal healthy
       preferences.
     Using the MyPlate plan, reinforce lessons learned in how much to eat
       of the 5 food groups,

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING(S)                    ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S)

       Identify the five food groups, and           What does it mean to be healthy?
        give examples of foods in each.               Eat healthy?
       Create a healthy meal containing a
        food from each food group