Food for Thought: One School's Look at Food and Where it Comes From

April 9, 2010 - PRLog -- For two weeks in April, the entire Wingra School student body will be studying food, together.

Each year Wingra School runs an all-school unit of study.  Children ages 5-14 mix it up for daily all-school assemblies, study groups, field trips and service learning projects.

This year the Wingra School community will be studying food.  Multi-age teams of students will explore the theme, organized into concentric circles related to self (nutrition), then building out to family, local, regional, global and future issues and information. Teachers and students work with cross-level and cross-categorical teams. Parents share their expertise.

During this unit on food, students will travel together to the UW campus to attend CALS Day for Kids featuring hands-on activities, animals and a variety of agricultural displays about the importance of Wisconsin's agricultural history.

The All School Unit will involve many guest speakers. Farmers, bakers, nutritionists and representatives from local co-ops will be welcomed to share expertise with students. Jazz musician, and Wingra Alum, Mara Rosenbloom will also perform one afternoon in the school's gym.

Some students will visit an independent living facility to talk to residents about family rituals and traditions regarding food. This group plans to compile a cookbook of family recipes, pictures and stories from this experience as gifts to the seniors. A group focused on "national" issues will explore the history of milk and its transportation, as well as the sources of milk, both animal and plant, and taste-testing. Our "global" group will be taking a look at spices and how they have influenced connections on a global scale. The "future" group explore the sustainability of the way we presently receive food, touching on topics including food miles, community supported agriculture, and composting.  

Students will also be working to grow some food of their own. In March, students planted various lettuce and spinach seeds. This week they will be transplanting their crops into the soil. “Our goal is to have enough salad to feed the entire school on Fun Day. Then enough veggies for a harvest stew this fall,” says Mary Campbell, Wingra School Education Director.

For more information, visit http://www.wingraschool.org.

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Wingra School is a small, independent school providing a progressive education for children ages 5-14 in the Madison area since 1972.