Curricula – Page 29 – Island Grown Schools

Curriculum Toolkit
Over the years, we have honed in on priority curricular units for every grade level, preschool through 12th grade, that build on each other and provide a meaningful food education for the students we work with.
This Toolkit is the compilation of these units, along with their related teaching standards and sequence. We are constantly adding to this site, so please check in again soon for updates.

We designed this curriculum framework to help our students grasp the following key concepts by the time they graduate from High School:

Feel confident in making healthy food choices

Appreciate the farming profession

Know that everyone can grow food

Understand the connection between healthy soil, healthy plants and healthy people

Recognize a regenerative, local food system is inclusive and promotes a healthy ecosystem.

Butter Making

OBJECTIVE Students will make butter ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Where does food come from? What foods do I eat? MATERIALS NEEDED PROCEDURE Activity:An hour before beginning this activity, remove the cream from the refrigerator. Cream at room temperature will turn into butter more quickly than cold cream. Tell the students that many food products are made from […]

Grade levels 3-5, Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects English Language, Science

Island Grown Schools topics Farms

Bug Scavenger Hunt

OBJECTIVE Students will be able to find bugs in the garden Students will be able to notice the places bugs like to live ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Which bugs live in our garden? MATERIALS NEEDED Plates for displaying bugsMagnifying glassesLarge Tupperware for collecting bugs PROCEDURE Introduction Tell students that we will be going on a scavenger hunt […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Gardens

Bird feeders

OBJECTIVE Students will be able to identify different types of seeds used in bird feed. Students will understand the different uses of these seeds and why they are important. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Why are seeds important? Who uses seeds to survive? MATERIALS NEEDED Birdseed (allergy alert)PineconesPeanut butter/sunbutter (allergy alert) Twine/stringPlastic spoons or wooden stirrers for spreading […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Seeds

Apple Unit

OBJECTIVE Students will understand the lifecycle of an apple Students will be able to name some apple varieties Students will cook food with apples ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How do apples grow? What can we make with apples? MATERIALS NEEDED Activity One: Activity Two: Activity Three: Activity Four: PROCEDURE Activity one Introduction: Explain to the group that […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Arts, Science

Island Grown Schools topics Farms, Healthy Eating

Winter Farm Animals

OBJECTIVE Students will be able to describe the seasonal changes on a farm, from summer to fall to winter Students will be able to identify the changes in animals from fall to winter ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What happens on a farm in the winter? What do farm animals eat in the winter? MATERIALS NEEDED PROCEDURE Introduction: […]

Grade levels Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Science

Island Grown Schools topics Farms

The Tomato Challenge

OBJECTIVE To appreciate varieties of fruits and vegetables and their imperfections. To practice observational skills ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Why do we grow different kinds of tomatoes? Do different tomato varieties taste the same? MATERIALS NEEDED PROCEDURE Introduction: Are all tomatoes the same? No! Tomatoes are different colors, shapes, and tastes. Today each of you are going […]

Grade levels 3-5, Prek-2

Core curriculum subjects Math

Island Grown Schools topics

Curriculum Toolkit

Butter Making

Bug Scavenger Hunt

Bird feeders

Apple Unit

Winter Farm Animals

The Tomato Challenge