Handout: Tips for Educators
Join Our Educator Contact List: Sign up to let us know you’re interested in receiving more farm to school resources for educators.
Field to Family’s Farm to School work is sponsored by Hill’s Bank
Digital farm to school resources for educators are here.
Our Farm to Classroom Resource Portal makes it easier than ever to connect you and your students to local farmers, even when in-person activities aren’t an option. These farm to school resources for educators in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities can help provide high-quality instruction and find opportunities for collaboration.
Join our Farm to School educator contact list by emailing [email protected] to receive email notifications when the portal adds new seasonal updates.
Learn more about Field to Family’s Farm to School program.
Farm to Classroom Conversations
Invite local farmers into your classroom digitally! Each season, Field to Family prepares a few local farmers to connect with classrooms in our area and share information about what’s happening on the farm. This summer, we are also sharing a pre-recorded interview with Over the Moon Farm & Flowers for in-classroom viewing. Contact [email protected] to arrange a digital visit.
Anna and Shae, a couple of young farmers in Coggon, are not only growing beautiful, colorful flowers on their land, but raising animals, eggs, sweet corn and more. Watch this short interview or invite Anna and Shae into your classroom to learn more about…
- What flowers need to grow
- What makes sweet corn different than “field corn”
- The value of following your dreams!
Farm to Early Care and up: Two easy school gardening tutorials
DIY Hydroponic Garden
Using accessible supplies like pool noodles and fish tank bubblers, this tutorial helps you create a scaled-up DIY hydroponic system great for growing plants indoors with little ones.
Seed Starting Comparison Activity
Kiddos as young as 18 months are able to plant seeds in cups of soil and watch them grow. Slightly older kids are able to guess which seeds will grow the biggest and make observations to test their hypothesis: do bigger seeds yield bigger plants?
Learn about School Gardening
Environmental Education for All Ages at ICCSD
3 Minutes
Meg from Green Iowa AmeriCorps Sustainable Schools walks you through what her team does to engage kids of all ages (K-12) with school gardening and environmental education.
Transplanting with Farmer Jon Yagla
5 Minutes
Farmer Jon Yagla of Millet Seed Farm walks you through his transplanting process, using lettuce starts to demonstrate.
Farmer Fair Presentations Go Virtual
These resources bring some of our favorite Farmer Fair presentations online! Show them in your classroom, send to students for at-home viewing or use as inspiration for virtual collaborations with local farmers.
A Crash Course in Soil Science
14 minutes
Recommended for Upper Elementary, Junior High
Farmer Scott Koepke of Sugar Grove Farm gives a 14-minute crash course in all things soil in this fast-paced video. Students will learn something about compost, plants and natural cycles from this energetic presentation.
Meet the Farmers Growing Local for Lunch
Check out our bios of local farmers who sell food to school districts in our area through Field to Family. Your students have likely eaten some of their produce and dairy!
This project was possible because of a USDA Farm to School Grant awarded to Iowa Valley RC&D.
Field to Family is based in Iowa City and works to create a more local, healthy and sustainable regional food system. Field to Family’s Farm to School Program works to increase the amount of fresh, local food that students eat through our three projects: 1) adding more local foods to school lunches, 2) building school gardens and composting systems, and 3) providing food, agriculture, and nutrition education programs.
Iowa Valley RC&D is a 501c3 non-profit based in Amana who works to grow local economies, strengthen food systems, foster protection and enhancement of natural resources, and develop awareness for the arts, history, and culture. The Iowa Valley RC&D’s expertise is in community food systems, planning, and placemaking.
This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view of policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organization imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.