American Heart Association Partnership Supports 10,000 Children to Try Veggies
How do you get kids to eat veggies? You get them to love them.
How do you get kits to love veggies? Rainbow Wraps!
During October, 131 teachers and over 10,000 students from 99 schools, early learning programs, and nonprofits joined Small Bites Adventure Club and the American Heart Association in making and tasting a new recipe - Rainbow Wraps with Bell Peppers. Educators made the recipe in their classrooms and were encouraged to connect taste tests to healthy school meals in the school cafeteria. Teachers from Georgia and ten additional states signed up as part of the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning and Voices for Georgia’s Children’s Georgia Pre-k Week Campaign and Georgia Organics’ annual October Farm to School Month campaign.
“The kids absolutely loved Rainbow Wraps. The kids love making something to try. One student said that they made their mom go buy the ingredients so that they could make it for their family for dinner!”
Thanks to funding from the American Heart Association and the Healthy School Meals for All Campaign, teachers received access to Small Bites Adventure Club’s digital Rainbow Wraps Platform with “how-to” videos, downloadable activities, materials for engaging parents, and more! Students were encouraged to connect the classroom activity to their school meal program through a “Rainbow Lunch Scavenger Hunt” activity. “I appreciated the video that showed how the activity could go, as well as the many written activities for both those leading the activity and for the students,” shared a third grade educator in Kentucky.
Photos: Students in DeKalb and Barrow County try Rainbow Wraps. Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Commissioner Jacobs makes Rainbow Wraps with CALi (see full video here!), Rex Childcare student learns safe knife skills.
Through a partnership with Instacart Health, thirty-three teachers also received an Instacart Fresh Funds gift card to purchase ingredients to be delivered directly to their school. “Instacart reaches more than 95% of U.S. households including 93% of people living in food deserts, connecting families across the country to fresh and nutritious foods,” said Sarah Mastrorocco, Vice President and General Manager of Instacart Health. “We’re proud to partner with Small Bites Adventure Club to leverage Instacart Health Fresh Funds to unlock greater access and educate and inspire health habits in the classroom and beyond.”
Among survey respondents, about a third of participating teachers had not tried leading a taste test or cooking activity with their students in the classroom. When asked what they liked most about the Rainbow Wraps activity, a pre-k teacher from Richmond County Public Schools shared, “The students' reactions! They absolutely loved trying it, and even the ones who didn't like it enjoyed making the wrap and were respectful to those that liked it.”
“Kids can absolutely learn to love vegetables – especially when they are given the opportunity to create and try them through hands-on cooking with their peers in classroom settings. Helping them learn to love veggies also sets them up for success when they head to the school cafeteria where produce is offered daily,” shares Erin Croom, CEO and founder of Small Bites Adventure Club.
Special thanks to Partnership for Inclusive Innovation for their ongoing support to expand high quality food education through digital tools.
Families can make the recipe at home too! The recipe is available on the Small Bites Adventure Club website.
Small Bites Adventure Club is a social impact venture based in Atlanta, GA with a mission to help children discover, eat and love fruits and vegetables. Small Bites Adventure Club creates turnkey food education resources for childcare, after school program and PreK- 5th grade educators. To date, Small Bites Adventure Club has reached over 330 schools, child care and afterschool programs and served over 128,400 bites of fruits and veggies to children. Connect with us on Instagram!
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
--
Instacart, the leading grocery technology company in North America, works with grocers and retailers to transform how people shop. The company partners with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to facilitate online shopping, delivery and pickup services from more than 80,000 stores across North America on the Instacart Marketplace. Instacart Health is a sweeping initiative that leverages Instacart’s platform, products and partnerships to expand access to fresh and nutritious food, inspire healthy habits and scale food as medicine programs.