Even though school is out for summer, learning is still in for Prescott students! Our FoodCorps service member Elena worked with several enrichment classes at Lincoln Elementary School and Granite Mountain School to teach about gardening, nutrition, and our food system.
Students were able to engage with the school gardens, learn about photosynthesis and germination through song and dance, watch part of the movie “Fed Up” and more. After class, all students would gather for summer lunch in the cafeteria, where Elena served up some local produce in the form of a taste test.
Students were praised for trying the new vegetables, especially those who aren’t accustomed to trying new foods. On the day that the elementary students tried local beets, most either loved or liked them, but two fourth grade girls thought they tasted liked “nature’s candy” and walked out the cafeteria doors with handfuls of the purple delicious morsels.
In addition to teaching in the schools, Elena taught at the American Indian Youth Medical Wellness Camp, where Native American students at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes gathered and learned about our food system and developing food sovereignty within their communities. The campground staff were so dedicated to the mission of health that they built an area for Elena and the students to plant a garden.
In the nature of traditional health and wellness, the students planted corn, beans, and squash — the three sisters. Students were told to think happy thoughts while they planted the seeds in order for the crops to grow well and strong. With any luck, the garden at the campground will soon represent traditional health in Native American communities and the campers took home a little more knowledge on how to live a healthy and happy lifestyle.
You can follow Elena’s service on Instagram at Prescott Farm to Child.