Our programs

Bringing healthy foods to your classroom

Imagine your students experiencing fresh local produce, tasty and healthy treats, and actual cooking right in their classroom! Midwest Food Connection’s teachers bring exciting, practical and interactive lessons about healthful eating to dozens of schools in the Twin Cities area – and, we can bring this energy and delight in natural foods to your classroom.

Storytelling, drama, song, and art accompany a bountiful selection of fresh food. Our educators create dishes right in front of students' eyes, engaging children in the preparation and the processing of food, and astound them with wonderfully tasting food and snacks.

The Midwest Food Connection offers four seasonal sets of lessons about natural foods and sustainable agriculture. These natural foods lessons are available individually and as a set.

We teach in grades K-5 and tailor the material to the specific age of the students. Most lessons last 55 minutes and include a presentation, whole-class and individual activities, and a tasting component.

Our programs through the seasons

• Fall 1 – Grown Near Home (September – November)
• Fall 2 – Minnesota’s Harvest (November – January)
• Winter – Healthy Winter Eating (January – March)
• Spring – Urban Farming (April – June)

To learn more about each of our seasonal programs, visit the pages devoted to our programs: Fall 1, Fall 2, Winter, and Spring. You can also contact us with any questions about scheduling lessons at your school.

Experience our curriculum

Here is a sample of our natural food curriculum: four lessons that work together to get students thinking about the source of their food and introduce them to the pleasures of eating locally grown food.

Grown Near Home (September-November)

Four lessons teach about the importance and delights of eating local foods. Children taste fruits, herbs, and vegetables from nearby farms while learning to care for our soil and open space.

Eat Local - What food grows in your neighborhood? Can you find local produce in your grocery store? Learn about the farmers that supply us fresh food, the gas we waste when we truck in our food, and decide where to get local food grown nearby.

Make a Salad - Discover the variety of produce that comes from Minnesota’s farms. Students will experience through taste, touch and sight their favorite fresh produce, and create a salad with their friends. Selection and topics will vary with the season.

Caring for our Soil - Investigate the importance of dirt for growing our food, and the techniques modern farmers are using to protect and replenish soil. Children chart out and draw their own sustainable farm complete with crop rotations, organic fertilizer, and erosion protection.

Herbs & Spices - Expand and train your taste buds! This lesson will present the plants, flavors, and uses of herbs and spices common to agriculture and cuisine in Minnesota.  Activities include making an herbal pizza and sketching actual plants.

Invite us to your school

How can you invite Midwest Food Connection’s natural foods programs into your classroom? Simply contact us via e-mail! Or, you may call and our staff will help you tailor a lesson plan to your students’ needs.

Tell us

• What lesson (or group of lessons) you need.
• When you would like us to come to your classroom.
• How many classrooms are involved.

We schedule four to six weeks out and will take advance reservations as well.

Pricing

• $125 for first program
• $85 for each additional program taught on the same day

*Maximum booking: 35 students per program, 6 programs per day

*Additional mileage charges may apply to schools more than 25 miles from Minneapolis’ city center

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding Midwest Food Connection’s programs, curriculum, or fees. Our educators would be happy to assist you in planning your school’s natural foods program.