Let's Make Pickles!

When children are learning about and eating nutritious foods at an early age, it makes a difference. Ninety percent of the brain is developed by age five, and healthy food is vital to brain development in young children. “Rather than teaching students about tomatoes for the first time at age seven, if you introduce these foods at age two, that child’s relationship with healthy eating has four plus years of exposure and depth to it once they enter kindergarten,” Educator Jed Norris shares.

Late summer is a great time to weave more learning into your students’ and families’ meals — the gardens are bursting with produce for all sort of hands-on activities, like quick pickles. Find inspiration for your own pickle making in the video below (starting at 6:57) and get our pickle activity from Cultivating Joy & Wonder.

Extend the Learning: Do you know the bean plant’s super power? Try “Dress Up a Plant”, an interactive game to teach young learners about a plant’s parts, what function each plays, and how a bean goes from seed to fruit.