Tips on Teaching Kids About Where Our Food Comes From

This post is sponsored by Milk It! and Scholastic. The ideas and opinions are all my own.

Kids are always filled with curiosity. It is in their nature to question things, especially when many things are new to them—new foods to taste, new toys to play with, and new sights to see. My 5-year-old asks me all the time where food comes from. My 9-year-old, being the smart aleck that he is, says, “From plants and animals, duh!” which then gets my daughter thinking and asking about how that is possible. It is a never-ending cycle sometimes, but I enjoy her curious personality. And she should ask where food comes from because it is an important part of our lives. There are resources available to teach our children about eating a balanced diet and where food comes from. The Farm to Table program has recipes, activities, and more to help kids understand the importance of a nutritious meal. 

Let Them Be Curious

Children mimic what they see. One of the things my kids copied from me was eating habits. I learned that if I’m not eating veggies or nutritious foods, they won’t. When I started introducing vegetables and different fruits, they asked a lot of questions. How does it taste? Where did you buy it? Where does it come from? I wanted them to see that what we put in our bodies is important for our well-being and important for their growing bodies. The Farm to Table program helped me answer many of their questions. There was a lot of “where does milk come from?” and “how do they get it in the milk jug?” questions. I’m not an expert and I knew they would want visuals. The Farm to Table website was a lifesaver in explaining everything they wanted to know in a way they can easily understand. The site provides videos, comics, and a lot of pictures.

The Farm to Table Program Includes:

• Recipes for nutritious breakfasts and snacks with plenty of nutrients to help fuel kids to achieve.
• Conversation prompts and activities that support parents in keeping their kids actively engaged at the grocery store and beyond.
• An interactive dairy farm that helps kids appreciate the importance of how food is produced and how a nutritious diet can help them be their best.
• A comic-style magazine about milk’s journey from farm to table.
• A classroom component that parents can share with teachers or use at home for extra math and reading support.

The kids learned so much about milk from the video and interactive dairy farm. They couldn’t believe how much farmers do to get us the milk we drink. They learned why drinking milk is important for their growing bodies. My son has been asking for more protein-rich foods because he wants to build strong muscles; I think he is getting it now. Ha! We also decided to take a trip to our local farmers’ market to get fruits and vegetables. The kids got to pick what they wanted to eat for dinner. I think having them involved in the dinner process makes them excited to eat what they helped make. We’re slowly introducing asparagus, broccoli, and squash. We’re working on avocados—they don’t seem to enjoy the texture, but they love guacamole so I was able to get some avocados in their little bodies that way. My advice is to let them try it alone first; if that doesn’t work try adding it to something else.

Tips on Getting Kids Involved

• Go to the farmers’ market to shop for local produce.
• Cook together. (There are some great recipes in the Farm to Table website.)
• Visit a dairy farm if you have one nearby.
• Take the kids grocery shopping with you and let them read the nutritional facts.

The more we teach our kids about where our food comes from and the importance of good nutrition, the more they will make better decisions on their food choices. My kids are old enough to pour themselves a glass of milk whenever they want it. Milk is always in my fridge because it is used in so many recipes. Be sure to visit the Farm to Table website for additional information. You can follow along on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest.

How do you get your children involved?

 

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Milk It!. The opinions and text are all mine.