Sierra Vista Elementary is fortunate to have two similar but different programs teaching about agriculture and healthy eating habits that are improving learning outcomes for our students. According to Principal Donna Valdez, “The collaboration with LVCS, Cooking with Kids, and NMSU provides a comprehensive learning environment that enhances what we do in the classroom. It also provides our students with important life skills.”
For the last 19 years, the Las Vegas City Schools and New Mexico State University have had a partnership to teach youth about agriculture. Students are involved in planting seeds, growing crops, and harvesting what they have grown. They learn how to care for plants, food safety, and the science of agriculture. When harvest time comes, they get to eat what they grow and share with teachers and staff.
Last year, LVCS began partnering with Cooking with Kids. Cooking with Kids provides hands-on fun with food in the classroom that supports your family’s healthy eating efforts at home. Kids gain confidence in the kitchen when they have the chance to try. Students are provided with support, modeling, and a growth mindset through the cooking units. For recipes, how-to-videos, and more, visit cookingwithkids.org.
The NMSU greenhouse and Cooking with Kids programs coordinate field activities with cooking units through a collaborative effort. The Cooking with Kids program director shared their cooking unit schedule and recipes for each unit last Spring, which allowed students to grow some of the plants they would use in the cooking units presently. After Cooking with Kids schedule with teachers for a cooking unit, the NMSU program schedules with the teachers to teach plant identification, edible portions of plants, harvesting techniques, food safety, and plant development in the garden just before the cooking unit.
Dr. Peter Skelton said, “Through the school garden at the NMSU greenhouse, we have the capacity to teach youth how to grow food, but we don’t have the capacity to prepare food. Collaborating with the Cooking with Kids program benefits Sierra Vista students because it connects food production with meal preparation. It’s ideal from a teaching and learning perspective.”
Cooking with Kids educator, Chef Jeff Stockton added, “It’s been an amazing opportunity to demonstrate the direct connection from garden to kitchen.”
This all-inclusive approach to teaching and learning benefits our students greatly!
Cooking with Kids lesson being taught.
Students Mia Pino-Trujillo and Carter Encinias harvesting jalapeños.