Food Literacy Workshops

Transcription

1 LFS 350, Group 20 Food Literacy Workshops Proposal for Project at David Livingstone Elementary School Ann Cribb, Emma Louie, Jasminder Brar, John Tseng, Katie Kennedy & Suzanna Su October 9, 2016

2 I. Introduction The purpose of this project is to improve food literacy among grade 1/2 students at David Livingstone Elementary School through garden- and nutrition-based workshops. This school is located in the flourishing Mount Pleasant neighbourhood, and is home to around 300 students. The active PAC and teachers at Livingstone contribute to school initiatives including a school garden and orchard on the edge of the school grounds, as well as an extensive recycling program. The school developed a vision that the gardens would be used to provide students with the skills of growing their own food, and have requested that we assist in meeting that goal with Ms. Paris grade 1/2 students. In conducting the garden-based food literacy workshops, we hope to contribute to literature revolving around the benefits of such workshops in terms of food security issues. II. Significance A number of research papers exist that examine the effectiveness of similar food literacy workshops to those we will be holding. Many of these papers indicate a positive relationship between student involvement in these workshops and improved health. One study performed by McAleese & Rankin (2007) found that the consumption of fruits and vegetables more than doubled when the students were exposed to both nutritional education and garden activities. The average intake of vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber in the children increased significantly (McAleese & Rankin 2007). During World War I, the United States experienced severe food insecurity. At this time, the USA decided to enlist the help of children and parents, encouraging them to plant gardens both at school and at home (Hayden-Smith 2007). The main purpose of this initiative was to increase the production of food for the purpose of the war. However, it soon evolved into something much more. A paradigm was instilled in America s youth; the idea that it would strengthen the nation s food security to encourage the local production and consumption of food (Hayden-Smith 2007). Many people saw it as a cure to urban ills (Hayden-Smith 2007), and there were some attempts to nationalize garden education across America. As stated by Gibbs et al. (2013), Children had shown more awareness of issues of health and nutrition as a result of repeated workshops. The study also includes that students displayed an increased level of willingness to try and learn about new foods. This is an approach that our group is planning to take. We believe that this is the most effective way of creating interest in the students without sacrificing instructional time in class. These foundational skills will help address the topic of food security through introductions to sustainability and nutrition, all the while promoting community resilience. Through the establishment of and recurring exposure to food literacy skills in primary years, the students can be expected to carry this knowledge through the rest of their lives (Gibbs et al., 2013). Although many studies have been conducted on the relationship between food literacy and children, there seems to be a knowledge gap due to limited studies on younger school children. Most of the available literature focuses on students between grades 3-7, while our class consists of students in grades 1 and 2.

3 III. Objectives and Inquiry Questions Objectives The objectives of the project are aimed towards improving food literacy among the class of Grade 1/2 students. Our two main objectives are split into two workshops each, and we will have a total of four workshops. The objectives are targeted to teach and elaborate on topics pertaining to food literacy which include: gardening and plant life cycles, and food, health, and nutrition The first objective for the first two garden-based workshops is to: Evaluate the effectiveness of the garden-based workshops on improving the program audience knowledge base on the reason and process behind putting the garden to bed for the winter, the different stages of composting, and the life cycle of plants. The second objective for the last two nutrition-based workshops is to: Evaluate the effectiveness of the nutrition-based workshops on improving the program audience knowledge base on identifying and categorizing food based on the four food groups, identifying and choosing a healthy meal versus an unhealthy meal, and making healthy snacks and meals. Research/Inquiry Questions 1. After the first two garden-based workshops, what percentage of the groups of students were able to correctly identify the life cycle of compost and a garden in chronological order? How does this compare to before the workshops? 2. After the last two nutrition-based workshops, what percentage of the groups of students were able to curate a hypothetical dinner or meal that includes all of the food groups? How does this compare to before the workshops? IV. Methods The methodology for our project is completing a case study of the grade 1/2 students. The method of our study is an intervention where we will be collecting qualitative and quantitative data from our workshops. Our assumption is that these children have had minimal exposure to the topics, since it is a portion of their upcoming curriculum. Since the students are quite young and cannot yet do written tests, we will use visual tests with pictures of food and life cycle stages.

4 Data Collection and Analysis We will be using descriptive analysis to compare and contrast our quantitative data and qualitative data. If both sets of data are in agreement, our workshop intervention may be effective. Workshop Topics 1) Putting the Garden to Bed Composting Plant life cycles 2) Canada s Food Guide to Healthy Eating Food groups Create a healthy, balanced meal Quantitative (descriptive statistics) There will be a pre-test and post-test for comparison of knowledge before and after Matching Stages of composting Plant life cycles to the correct season A point is given to the correct identification. Measure the percentage of groups who answer correctly (before and after) There will be a pre-test and post-test for comparison of knowledge before and after Matching Draw picture of a food from that food group Food item to the correct food group A point is given to the correct identification. Pictures on a plate Assemble a healthy meal before and after the workshop Marking correct and incorrect - has all 4 food groups Measure the percentage of groups who answer correctly (before and after) Qualitative (observations) Interview Ms. Paris following the completion of the workshop series to discuss her thoughts on the effectiveness of our workshops Create a healthy meal on a plate using images of foods from various food groups Observe the specific changes the students make on their plates Teacher interview

5 V. Budget For our final workshop, we would like to conduct a cooking demonstration using vegetables that can grow during winter in the Lower Mainland to show examples of healthy snacks. The budget for that workshop is shown in the table below. Materials Cost Paper plates $5 Utensils $5 Fruits $15 Vegetables $20 Colour printing $5 TOTAL $50 VI. References Gibbs, L., Staiger, P., Johnson, B., Block, K., Macfarlane, S., Gold, L., Ukoumunne, O. (2013). Expanding Children's Food Experiences: The Impact of a School-Based Kitchen Garden Program. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 45(2), doi: /j.jneb Hayden-Smith, R. (2007). "Soldiers of the Soil": The Work of the United States School Garden Army During World War I. Applied Environmental Education & Communication, 6(1), doi: / McAleese, J. (2007). Garden-Based Nutrition Education Affects Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Sixth-Grade Adolescents. Journal of American Dietetic Association, 107(4), doi: /j.jada