Popping off PoP Club
This week, we had our first Power of Produce (PoP) Clubs in Sheldon, Rock Rapids, Rock Valley and Orange City. For PoP Club we attend Farmers’ Markets and have an activity for children ages 3-12 to complete, after completing the activity they have the opportunity to try a fresh produce item that can be found at the market. After completing both of these, they receive a $2 PoP token that can be used to purchase fresh produce at the farmers market. Our goal is to get children excited to try new produce items and learn more about healthy living.
This week the produced themed activity was planting a vegetable seed in an egg carton for the children to take home and grow. They also had the opportunity to try spinach, most of the kids really enjoyed and some bought lettuce or kale with their token!
We had fun getting to know the vendors and the children who participated. Combining all four markets we had over 100 kids participate. At the Sheldon Farmers’ Market, Morgan and Erin got the chance to taste asparagus guacamole from a vendor and it was absolutely delicious. We have attached a photo of the recipe below. Camilla was at the Rock Rapids Farmers’ Market on Monday. Last year the highest number of children participating was 15 and this year we started strong with 17 at the first one. This year was the first year of POP Club at the Rock Valley Farmers’ Market, it was a hit with over 30 children participating. On Saturday was the Orange City Farmers Market. At this market on the second Saturday of each month is the Kids Market where kids have their own booth and are able to sell things they created. Some of the items included baked goods, crafts, and produce.
We are looking forward to seeing the numbers grow over the summer!
Swinging by Sibley Dayhab
On Tuesday we traveled to Sibley to lead a healthy living program with Hope Haven DayHab clients. We introduced MyPlate and were able to practice making a healthy balanced meal. Then we started our new project for the summer. We are making food group flashcards, this week focusing on fruits. The fruits we included were bananas, apples, grapes, and strawberries. The flashcards include the name of the fruit, serving size, and nutrients they provide. Our goal is that the clients will utilize these flashcards when shopping, to encourage them to make healthier choices. Another activity was participants had the opportunity to plant their own vegetable seed and are excited to watch their plants grow throughout the summer. They also taste tested grapes and received a $2 token to use at Sibley Super Foods. Participants were very eager to learn and were asking questions the entire time. We are excited to come back every Tuesday and have fun lessons about healthy living!
Digging with George Daycare
On Wednesday we returned to the George Daycare. We split the 2 groups up by age, there was the school aged children and the preschool children. The older kids had the opportunity to replant some plants including kale, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and purple flowers. After they were done planting the younger kids were able to water the plants. The children really enjoyed the hands-on activity in the garden. They also had a good time being educated about MyPlate and making healthy choices. The younger children were able to learn about the different food categories by playing matching games. For the older children we challenged them to make one supper balanced meal and one silly balanced meal. We plan on practicing MyPlate and making healthy choices all summer while also doing fun hands-on activities in the garden.
Seedlings with Orange City Dayhab
Thursday is the day we spend our mornings with the Orange City Dayhab clients. This week our main activity was transplanting their plants that they planted earlier this spring into a raised garden bed. They all loved doing this and are so excited to see their plants continue to grow. Before planting, we went over their MyPlate activity again and challenged them to create a balanced supper. This is one of their favorite activities and we love having them try to create new meals each week. Our featured produce to taste test this week was spinach. Some of the clients really enjoyed trying the spinach and others did not want to try it at all. The participants received a $2 token to use at the Orange City Farmers’ Market. This is one of our favorite times of the week as we all love getting to know everyone.
Joke of the Week
Which vegetable always shows up in the lost and found?
The TURNIP