Project Title
Queen Mary Elementary School - Food Literacy Development
Project Description
Design recipes, nutritional overview using vegetables harvested at the UBC farm.
UBC students will support and facilitate a classroom teacher in connecting students’ current understanding of food literacy and their environment to an expanded understanding of food literacy and applied skills in basic food preparation. UBC students will harvest from the UBC gardens with the purpose of providing at least some ingredients for 2 or 3 recipes that will be prepared and shared at Queen Mary with and by the Division 10 students. UBC students will facilitate discussion around creating healthy snacks, lunches and meals at school and at home. They will do this by teaching the steps to creating healthy meals from start to finish (planting, cultivating, planning, preparing, consuming, composting)… i.e., having increased awareness and first hand knowledge of where your food is grown and how it is grown. Introduce advantages and disadvantages of importing and exporting food, 100-mile diet, local place-based sources of food.
Project Goal
Help students to target the core competencies of the BC curriculum for grade 2 students through a hands on approach:
- Learn some basic concepts and vocabulary related to food literacy (e.g., local food, processed food, food groups, nutrients, calories/energy, sustainable, etc.)
- Make two field trips to UBC farm; Prepare 2 meals/recipes at QM in the term
- Introduce and explore concept of “sustainable” re: food, environment, etc.
- Provide learning opportunity for all students to obtain basic skills in planning, preparing and cooking a nutritious meal or snack.
- Students will learn about the impacts of their personal health choices on their physical and mental wellbeing as well as on the environment.
- Learn about local and seasonal foods, as well as whole foods vs. processed foods.
UBC students will support the QM students in learning to make food choices that support a healthy lifestyle and their overall health as well as their community and environmental wellbeing, minimizing negative environmental impact.
Skills Preferred + To Be Developed
- Knowledge of food literacy concepts
- Gardening and cultivation experience
- Leadership qualities
- Organizational skills
Preferred Days of Week and Hours
9AM- 3PM any day of the week, depending on the availability of the UBC students. Before or after school meetings can be scheduled also.
Project Location
- Queen Mary Elementary School (2000 Trimble St. Vancouver, BC) - Room 103
- UBC farm or other sources of food to use for cooking.
Project / partner orientation
UBC students could plant some late harvesting vegetables with the QM students.
Related Community Service Opportunities for Students
N/A
Other
- A cleared Criminal Record Check (CRC) will be required for working with vulnerable adults and children (this is a specific CRC).
- We do not expect UBC LSF students to be teachers. Any and all interactions with elementary students will be lead and facilitated by classroom teachers with input from UBC students and through collaborative planning.
Organization Information
Name
Queen Mary Elementary School
Mission + Vision
School mission statement: Our mission is to build a respectful community of lifelong learners. We work towards becoming caring, accomplished and cooperative citizens. We aim to provide an enriched environment in which children are encouraged to think, question, create and wonder.
Guiding Principles + Values:
- To demonstrate personal responsibility and self-control.
- Respect each other, respect learning and respect property.
- As students develop in age, they will show increasing maturity, decision-making and leadership qualities.
- Socially and environmentally conscious learners.
- We value connection to land, teachings students how we obtain our food.
- Accessibly for all students and staff to use the garden.
Primary Contact
- Contact Person(s): Michael Atkinson (Maria King and Sheila Kuzmiski, backups)
- Email: matkinson@vsb.bc.ca, mking@vsb.bc.ca, skuzmiski@vsb.bc.ca
- Address: 2000 Trimble St, Vancouver, BC V6R 3Z4
- Phone: (604) 713-5464
- Website: http://go.vsb.bc.ca/schools/queenmary/Pages/Default.aspx
- Best time(s) method(s) to contact: Email after 3 PM
Expected Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
I hope students will learn about...
- Expanding their knowledge of food literacy to make choices that benefit them and their community, and sharing this information with elementary students.
- How to research, investigate and find out pros and cons before presenting information
- How to effectively present to a group of students, recognizing the younger children need information and tasks “chunked” and broken down into manageable bits and manageable time frames
I think students will come to appreciate...
- The importance of teaching elementary students the benefits of eating whole foods vs. processed food to enhance health and well-being.
- Students will learn to work collaboratively with an educator to enhance the elementary students’ understanding of how their choices directly impact their environment and health.
Students will learn to...
- Work collaboratively with an educator to enhance the elementary students’ understanding of how their choices directly impact their environment and health.
Organizational Outcomes
- Socially and health conscious students
- A community that understands and is willing to participate in making better food choices
- An educational and meaningful use of how our school garden could be used in the future