#HaveAPlant STEM Spotlight for Educators
Sep 18, 2020, Updated May 20, 2021
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The Produce Moms® is proud to partner with the Produce for Better Health (PBH) Foundation to help students eat healthier and happier this school year—together we believe increased knowledge about fruits and veggies leads to increased consumption.
Back-to-school means a lot of different things this year, but one part remains the same—lunch period! Busy brains require a break to refuel and nothing powers a kid through the day like nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Whether students eat at home, pack, or buy, eating a wholesome lunch is a vital part of a successful school day.
September is National Fruits & Veggies Month™, a perfect time to commit to healthier choices. Personal pledges and class projects are a great way to link students to nutritious eating, read on for some instant inspiration.
Have A Plant™ Pledge
Families can plan for a healthy school year by pledging to fill their plates with more produce. Encourage students (and parents!) to take the Have A Plant™ Pledge—a commitment to add one more fruit or vegetable to their daily eating routine for a month.
Bite for bite, no food provides the wealth of health that fruits and veggies do! Pledging responsibility triggers an emotional relationship for adopting positive eating habits that promote a happier, healthier life.
Sweet Potato STEM Project
Educators can inspire an ongoing connection to nourishing fruits and vegetables through fun experiments and exploration in the classroom. The more students learn about produce, the more they seem to enjoy eating it.
Get started with this awesome Sprouting Sweet Potatoes STEM project! Provide students a fun opportunity to investigate what part of the sweet potato is needed to grow a sweet potato plant. With minimal supplies students will learn the roots of healthy eating as they observe potato propagation first-hand. The class will make predictions, plant starter slips, track sprout data, and draw conclusions about what controls impact sweet potato growing success.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE CURRICULUM
Recap with a Sweet Potato Snack
Dig deeper and share some delicious sweet potato recipes with your students. Snack on some yummy favorites like Grilled Sweet Potato Planks and Sweet Potato Toast. You can find more tasty sweet potato recipes on the Have A Plant™ page.
Amaze students with sweet potato superpowers—they are high in Vitamin C which plays an important role in bone development and digestion, Carotenoids which are a powerful antioxidant boosting immune systems, and Vitamin D which plays a critical role in regulating energy levels and moods.
Download the Sweet Spud Love ebook for free on our website! Learn the origin of sweet potatoes and everything there is to know about these sweet spuds from A to Z—nutrient content, recipes, activities and much more.
Stay connected and stay inspired by following Have A Plant™ for more healthy eating resources for school and home. Remember, take the #HaveAPlantPledge!
