Portage County Farm to School classroom lesson plan example, developed by Christine Kuhn (Nutrition Educator).

1. CreatedSpring2016
Summary: In thisactivity, studentswill learn about herbs and spicesand the ways that we use them,includingfor
food and medicine.Studentswill getto familiarize themselveswithdifferentherbsthatwe can grow in Wisconsin,
explore the differencesbetween freshanddried herbs,and look for herbson foodpackages. The lessonconcludes
with a healthy snack of cut veggieswith an herb dip!
Goal: Studentswill be more willingtotrynewfoodsandwill gainan increasedunderstandingof Wisconsinagriculture
and basicnutritionconcepts.
Objectives
1. Studentswill be able toidentify5herbsthatcan be grownoutside inWisconsin.
2. Studentswill be able todescribe 3usesforherbs.
3. Studentswill try1 newfood.
Introduction (10Minutes – Studentsseatedatdesks)
1. Beginthe activitybytellingthe kidsthattodayyouneedhelpsolvingamystery!Bringoutyourbox of fooditems
and tell themthatall of themhave somethingincommonandyou needtofigure outwhatit is (answer:theyall
Activity Overview
Herbs and Spices and Teas, Oh My!
Portage County Farm to School
Classroom Lessons
Location:McKinleyCenter
Ages:4th
Grade
Numberof Students: 22
Schedule:9:15am-10am (45 Minutes)
F2S Instructor:Christine Kuhn,NutritionEducator
F2S Assistants:n/a
Materials
 Foodpackageswithherbs/spicesas
ingredients
 5-10 samplesof driedandfreshherbs
 Herb creamcheese dip (see recipe in
attachments)
 Optional:live,pottedherbs
 Servingspoon
 Paperplates
 Napkins
 Veggiestodip(carrots, celery,etc.)
Preparation
 Prepare the simple herbdip(see recipe in
attachments).
 Collectmaterials. Whenselectingherbsand
spices,aimfora varietyof plantparts and
include onesfromWIas well asonesnotfrom
WI, suchas: gingerroot, vanillabeans/extract,
garlicbulb,salt,peppercorns,basil,parsley,
mustardseed,cinnamonsticks,cardamom,etc.
Selectawide varietyof packagedfoods
includingsome thatcontainherbsinthe title.
 Familiarize yourself withsome of the keyherb
facts andinformationinthe attachments.
Procedure

2. CreatedSpring2016
containherbsand/orspicesinthe ingredientslist).Show themone foodata time and setthemon a table
where everyonecansee.Have themtake guessesaboutwhattheyhave incommon.Itis likelythatasyou
introduce them,the kidswill findseveral thingsincommonsuchasall beingpackagedfoods,containing
vegetables,beinghealthy/unhealthy,etc.Letthemknow whenthisisrightandwhenthere mightbe an
exception(ex,Yup,theyare all packagedfoods!Andall are vegetable basedexceptthatbeef jerkystick!) Keep
askingquestionsaboutthe productsandhavingthemguessforabout2 minutes.Thengive themsome hints.
a. It ishelpful if youhave 1 or 2 productsthat have herbsinthe title,suchas RosemaryandOlive Oil
Triscuitsor an herbal tea.
b. Good hints:“What doeseachof these itemshave inthe ingredients?”“If youwere tomake _____ (ex:
pasta sauce) at home,whatwouldyouneedtoputin it?”
Activity(20Minutes – Studentsseatedatdesks)
1. Once you finallyleadthemtofiguringoutthattheyall containherbsand spices,have aconversationaboutwhat
each of these are.Have the kidsgive some definitionsandcorrectthemwhenwrongand summarize all the
attributes.Discussdifferenttypesof herbsandspicesandwhere theyare from, how theygrow,etc.
2. Duringthis,passout the fooditemsforthe childrentolookforthe herbsand spicesonthe labels.Make sure
theyknowto do thisquietly,asyoushouldbe havinganinformal discussionaboutdifferentherbs.
a. Questionsandtopicstocoverinclude:
i. What do we use herbsand spicesfor?(Flavor,medicine,etc.) (examples:Echinacea,gingerroot,
for medicine)
ii. Why doherbsand spiceshave suchstrong smellsandtastes?(Plantsare tryingtoprotect
themselvesordrawinanimals.)
iii. Are herbsand spicesnutritious?Cantheybe badforus? (manyherbshave compoundsthatare
beneficial medicallyandhave micronutrientsandantioxidants)
iv. Where do herbsandspicesgrow?Whichonescan we grow inWisconsin?(WIclimate ismostly
onlysuitable forherbsbutwe dogrow ginger,garlic,mustardseed,etc.Mostspicesare
tropical.)
v. Talk a little aboutsome of the mostcommonherbsand spicestheyknow.Show anyexamplesof
freshherbsif youhave them, it is greatto compare the smell of afreshherbvs a driedherb!
3. Collectthe fooditemsandpassaroundsome of yourherbsamplesforkidsto smell andlookat.Don’teat them!
Powderedherbsinparticularare very,verystrongtastingsince theyare concentrated!If youhave freshherbs,
theycan sample those.
Wrap-Up (15 Minutes – Studentsseatedatdesks)
1. Wrap up the activitybyaskingkidswhattheirfavorite herbandspicesare.Have theyeverygrownanyherbsor
spices?Have theycookedwiththem?Tell the kidsyoubroughtasimple snackfeaturingsome herbs.Tell them
whatyou broughtand whatherbsand spicesare init. Have themtell youwhichare grown inWI and where the
otherscame from (saltandpepperaren’tfromhere, andsaltis not a plantit isa mineral!)
2. Challenge the kidstoeachtryat leastone bite of the dip!
3. Have 1 studenthelpyoupassout napkins/paperplatesand1studentpassout a setnumberof veggieswhile
youpass out some of the dipto each student.
4. Askhowmany kidslikedthe dip?Dotheyhave anyotherideasfora tastyherbcombinationwe couldmake
insteadof the onesused?
5. Give recipe cardsfor studentstotake home.

3. CreatedSpring2016
F2S assessesthree mainoutcomes:
 Students’willingnesstotrynewfoods
 Students’knowledgeof basicnutritionconcepts
 Students’knowledgeof Wisconsin agriculture
For eachparticipatingclassroom,apre- and post-testisgivenforaseriesof 5 lessons/5snacks.Therefore,there isno
official assessmentforeachindividual classroomlesson.However,some measurescanbe takentoensure thatstudents
comprehend the individual lessoncontent,suchas:
 Duringwrap-upwhile the kids taste the herbs, re-askthe kidsaboutbasicconceptscoveredduringthe lessonto
see if theygive the correctanswer.Askstudentstosummarize keypoints,suchashealthbenefitsorlisting
whichherbsgrowin Wisconsin.
 Addinganadditional activityforthe kidstodraw an herbthat theywouldgrow in theirgardenat home/school
and label the partsof the planttheywoulduse,whatthe plantis,andwrite whytheythinkitis a goodplantto
grow.Look to see howmanystudentspickherbs/spicesthatcanbe growninWI and how accurate theirlabels
and descriptionsare.
Vocabulary
 Herbs:leafypartsof a pungentplantthatare usedto flavorfoods.
 Spices:roots,seeds,bark,andothernon-leafypartsof a pungentplantthatare usedto flavorfoods.
 Micronutrients:Substances(vitaminsandminerals) ourbodiescannotproduce butare neededinsmall
amounts.
 Antioxidants:Vitaminsandothernutrients thathelpprotectyourcellsfromtoxins(freeradicals) thatmay
contribute tohealthproblemssuchascancer andheart disease
Herb andSpice Facts
Biology
 Why dothese plantshave suchstrong smells,anyway!?Unlikeanimals,plantscannotrunawayor hide from
animalsthatwant to eatthem.So,theyhave developedmanydifferentwaystoprotectthemselves.Some
plantshave thorns;some growwhere theyare hard to reach; otherplantsare poisonousandcan make you
reallyitchyorsick! These plants have special compoundsintheirleaves,branches,flowers,andotherpartsthat
make themunpalatable.However,notall animalsreactthe same way.Some plantsthatare toxicto one species
may be fine foranother.Forexample,dogscangetreallysickwhentheyeatchocolate,buthumansdon’t
(unlessyoueattoomuch,of course!).Still,otherplantsWANTtobe eaten!Lots of plantsneedanimalsto
pollinate themorcarrytheirseedsfromone place to another.These plantshave developedspecial smellsand
flavorstoencourage youto come closer!Whetherthe plantistryingto scare youaway or draw you in,the
special compoundstheyhave developedare verystrongsmellingandtastingandcan be usedby us inmany
ways!
 Quickfact: peppercornsare destroyedby the digestivetractsof mammalsbutwill passthrougha birdsdigestive
tract unharmed.Theyadaptedthiswayso that birdscoulddisperse theirseeds!
Medicinal Uses
 Echinaceapurpureaor Pale Purple Coneflowerisaverycommonprairie flowerinWisconsinandiswidelyused
for itsimmune systemboostingproperties.The leavesandpetalsare a commonherbthat has beenusedby
Native American’sasteasandtincturesduringthe wintermonthstohelpease coughsandcoldsymptoms.Ithas
Assessment
Background Information

4. CreatedSpring2016
beenwidelystudied bythe scientificcommunityandisgenerallyacceptedtohave immune systembenefits.Itis
commonlyseeninmedications,throatdrops,teas,etc.especiallyinthe coldislesof grocerystores!
 Gingerhas beenshowntohelpwithnauseasymptoms,especiallyforpregnantwomen.That’swhyyouoften
hearadvice to drinkgingerale!
 Historically,manyof ourmedicationshave beenderivedfromplants,particularlyherbsandspices.Forexample,
aspirinisderivedfromthe barkof white willowandmalariamedicationswere originallyderivedfromthe barkof
cinchonatrees.Many medicationstodayare synthesizedinalab,but we still use herbal remedies.
 Many herbshave a varietyof micronutrientsandantioxidantsthatourbodyneeds.Manyscientistsare
beginningtostudythe medicinalandnutritivequalitiesof variousherbs.Herbssuchasoregano,sage,
peppermint,thyme,andlemonbalmhave all beenfrequentlyshowntocontainhighlevelsof antioxidants.
 Many wildherbsare shownto be beneficialaswell,suchasStingingNettle(highinVitaminC,VitaminB,and
shownto be a diuretic),dandelion(highinVitaminA,VitaminC,potassium,andiron),CommonYarrow
(coagulanttostop bleeding,anti-inflammatoryproperties),etc.
Attachments
Sour Cream Herb Dip
Ingredients
 2 8oz packagescream cheese
 Herb Combination:2tbseachherb,finelychopped
o Chives,garlic,andbasil
o Cilantro,garlic,chives
o Dill and chives
 Saltand peppertotaste
 Veggiesfordipping(carrots,celery,bell peppers,snow peas,etc.)
Instructions
1. Allowcreamcheese tocome to roomtemperature inalarge mixingbowl.
2. Finelychopupthe chosenherbsandadd to the bowl.
3. Stirto combine. Addsaltand peppertotaste.
4. Serve witha varietyof veggies,strivingtouse local in-seasonproduce whenpossible.
Alternatively,use afoodprocessortocombine all ingredients.Withthismethod,youwillnotneedtoallow
the cream cheese towarmup or cut the herbs.