Field trip leaves schoolchildren ripe with knowledge

A farmers market certainly looks different through the eyes of a fourth-grader.

"Gross," said Amari Shavies, remarking on a giant pile of fava beans.

"Ick" was Luis Villasenor's evaluation of a kiwi. He was far more interested in strawberries, which, he was quick to point out, have seeds on the outside.

The boys, students at Herman Leimbach Elementary School in Elk Grove, were participating in a field trip to the Florin Sears farmers market last week. The outing was part of a nutrition education program in the Elk Grove Unified School District. Lisa Vorce, nutrition specialist for the district, coordinates field trips for students.

"It is part of our curriculum," said Vorce. "Most of the kids are amazed to see this (the market). They have seen produce in grocery stores, but never sold like this, out in the open by people who actually grow the food. It gives them a whole new perspective. We hope that if kids discover something new at the farmers market, they will encourage their parents to buy different things.

"We're hoping that this experience will help kids make better choices when it comes to snacks and lunches. But sometimes the parents need an education, too," said Vorce.

Lise Marsh, one of the fourth-grade teachers on the tour, said it's a challenge to get kids to make healthy choices, and she hopes that meeting farmers and seeing fresh produce in the stands encourage that.

"I still see them eating Cheetos and cookies on break," said Marsh. "We ask parents to send nutritious snacks on test day, and kids turn up with doughnut holes and cupcakes."

Renae Best, market manager at the Florin Sears market, conducts the market tours in Sacramento County for the California Federation of Certified Farmers' Markets. Last week, more than 50 students, most of them 9 or 10 years old, toured the Thursday morning market with Best.

The field trip began with a short talk about farming, why shoppers will find only the items that are currently in season and why it's important to choose healthy snacks like fruit and vegetables. Best's introduction was peppered with quiz questions.

"Will we see peas today?" she asked the group.

"Yes," was the enthusiastic response, although we discovered later that many of the students didn't recognize peas still in the pod.

Following the introduction, kids were divided into small groups, each with a volunteer parent to help them navigate the produce stands. Each child was given a list of items to find, similar to a scavenger hunt. At the end of the morning, kids were awarded tokens for correct answers on their quiz sheets. Tokens were redeemed for produce at market stands, and most were spent on cherries and strawberries.

Almost everyone learned that kiwis do not grow on trees; that the difference between a nectarine and a peach is that peaches have fuzz; that broccoli has calcium and carrots have vitamin A. Quite a few kids were still having trouble identifying garlic, fava beans and horse- radish, and nobody was anxious to try a kohlrabi.

Charles Shavies, one of the parent volunteers, said he also learned a lot on the tour.

"Well, I learned what a java pea – no wait, it's a fava bean – is," said Shavies. "Actually, this is the first time I've ever been to a farmers market in my life. We're from the Bay Area. In Oakland, a lot of people don't eat half this stuff. Processed food is what we live on. But this is cool. I'm glad I came."

Still, he wasn't sure if the tour would encourage his son Amari to eat more vegetables.

"He likes fruit," Shavies said, pointing to Amari, who was happily munching on a basket of cherries. "But he isn't much interested in eating vegetables. I guess we'll have to work on that."

For more information about the farmers market tours in Sacramento County: (916) 688-0100 or (530) 753-9999. You can also write to California Federation of Certified Farmers Markets, P.O. Box 1813, Davis, CA 95617.

About the writer:

• Call the Bee's Gwen Schoen, (916) 321-1146.