Celebrate National Garden Month

USDA Food and Nutrition Service sent this bulletin at 04/17/2018 10:00 AM EDT

Volume 4, Issue 8, April 17, 2018

The Dirt - New and Notes from FNS's Office of Community Food Systems

National Garden Month

Now that the flowers are blooming and the bees are buzzing, we can finally pull out our shovels and plant seeds for the spring bounty. Gardening is a perfect activity to engage children and students. From discovering how food grows, to understanding nutrition and agriculture-related concepts, gardening provides a hands-on learning opportunity that is fun and exciting. This month, explore the resources below that help connect children to local farmers and farmers market. Whether your garden is at school or home, or if you are a master gardener or beginner, these resources are sure to fit your needs. Happy National Garden Month!!

Spring has Sprung!

Check out Team Nutrition's gardening activities and seasonal recipes to get your spring season off to a great start!

Grow it! Try it! Like it! - an educational toolkit that introduces young children to easy gardening and tasting activities, arts and crafts, songs, and movement.
What's Cooking Mixing Bowl - a recipe catalogue filled with kid-friendly recipes, such as the Quick Quesadilla and Spinach Egg Bake.
CACFP Halftime: Thirty on Thursdays Training Webinar on Offer Versus Serve in the CACFP, Methods for Healthy Cooking, and Grain-Based Desserts. Date: April 19, 2018. Register NOW!
The Food Buying Guide Mobile App can help you determine how much local food to purchase for your school meal or CACFP site.

NFSN Trending Topics Webinar: State Farm to School Network

Date: May 10, 2018 @ 2:00pm ET

State networks are vital to the establishment and growth of farm to school programs by providing a platform that allows for strategic planning and coordination. While each state network is unique, many share a set of key strategies that contribute to their success. Join this webinar to learn about a new resource from the National Farm to School Network that highlights best practices and hear from NFSN Core Partners who are leading the way in state network development.

NFSN Trending Topics Webinar: State-Supported Farm to School Positions

Date: June 7, 2018 @ 3:00pm ET

State-supported farm to school positions within State agencies and Extension offices provide vision and direction to support the institutionalization of farm to school within an organization's culture. Join this webinar to learn about a valuable new resource from the National Farm to School Network which highlights the growth and prevalence of state-supported farm to school positions and offers tools, resources, and best practices for advocating for and maintaining state positions. Hear from NFSN Core Partners in South Carolina, Missouri, and Oregon as they share their success, challenges, and lessons learned and take away practical steps to advancing state-supported positions. This webinar is open to the public and will be recorded and archived for future viewing.

Learn more at http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool or contact us at farmtoschool@fns.usda.gov.

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