Written by Cara Page, intern for Jordan School District's Nutrition Services
For this year’s Apple Crunch Day celebration, Jordan School District Nutrition Services held a mini Farmer’s Market at Majestic Elementary School. The goal of the event was for the students to EAT, LEARN, and PLAY. Punch cards were handed out to each student as they exited the cafeteria for their lunch recess. If they visited all three booths and got all the apples on their cards punched, they got to pick an apple-related prize (pencils, erasers, stickers, etc.)!
Each table was set up to give the students exposure to local produce and information about farm-to-school. At one table the kids played with the Farm Pop Ups found in the Apple Crunch Resources on the Farm to Fork website. After playing with the pop ups in small groups, they got to pick a few pop up templates to make at home.
At another table, the students participated in a taste panel to test which of three varieties of apples they liked the best. Each student was given bite-sized pieces of Fuji, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious apples. Based on the stickers that were placed on the corresponding posters, Granny Smith was by far the favorite! The third booth was a “Purchase a Local Apple” where students could take an apple from Pyne Farms, a farm located in Santaquin, UT. Jordan School District partnered with Pyne Farms to purchase apples for not only the farmers market at Majestic Elementary, but for every student in the district. Some of the apples were nearly as big as the kids’ faces! The event was a success! The students loved doing something different during recess. They loved that they had to get their card punched before moving onto the next table. And they loved how big and delicious the apples from Pyne Farms were! Some of the comments made by students throughout the event were:
“I LOVE apples!”
“This Apple Crunch Day is way better than last year!”
“Thanks for planning this fun activity!”
Congratulations Jordan School District on a successful Apple Crunch Day celebration!
Are you ready to celebrate Apple Crunch Day with your group? Register today!