Brookwood Elementary School is a STEM certified school in Dalton Public Schools. As part of the innovative work that goes on at this school, each grade level conducts authentic, place-based research. The research is yearlong and allows the students to become critical thinkers and learners.
Second grade students become Food Detectives. Nutrition was brought into the spotlight by people such as Jaime Oliver and Michelle Obama. A few years ago, our students began to notice that a lot of food was being wasted in our school’s cafeteria. I am always asking my students to think about why. So in this case, our team of second grade teachers asked the kids, “Why do you think we throw away so much food?” The resounding answer was, “It doesn’t taste good.”
We spent lots of time working on researching the importance of food. This still did not increase the consumption of healthy foods. Through lots of trial and error, we began holding recipe contests. Only when we held a recipe contest and served a winning recipe, did the food waste reduce. There were empty food containers as far as the eye could see. What was the difference you ask? The answer is easy. It tasted good! The students had become empowered to make a positive change and saw actual results.
