“Hands-on, authentic experience combined with high-level content and resources make this an outstanding learning program for all students (parents and teachers too!)

- School Administrator

 

"I came in on Monday and Friday and noticed a huge difference in autonomy with the kids. Listening to my son and his friends chat about this experience has been fun in itself. There is a huge level of enthusiasm and satisfaction (and this from a table of boys). I love that kids are getting reconnected to their food. Lives are busy and families rarely have time to reflect on where food comes from and what goes into it.”

- Parent

 

“I liked the food because it tastes really good but knowing that we cooked it ourselves makes it taste even better."

- Grade 5 Student

 

”Not only did Project CHEF teach about nutrition and healthy eating, it was presented in a way that simply made preparing food fun! Whether you were a child or an adult in this program, you went home wanting to cook! The classroom was wonderfully transformed into a cooking studio.”

- Parent

 

“The program is fun and exciting for young children but as an adult it’s also been interesting and helpful for me too.”

- Parent

"I realized that cooking was as fun as playing on the computer! I will help my mom cook at home. I will teach her how to hold a knife properly and some other tricks too!"

-Grade 4 Student

Resources

Websites worth investigating:

Act Now BC

Action Schools

Agriculture in the Classroom

BC Dairy Foundation

BC Ministry of Education perfomance Standards for Healthy Living

BC Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport (Healthy Eating Resources)

Better Together

Canada’s Food Guide

Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education

Canadian Produce Marketing Board

Centre for Ecoliteracy

Cornell Farm to School

Culinary Institute of America

Dial a Dietitian

Directorate of Agencies for School Health (DASH)

Eating Well

Edible Schoolyard

Epicurious: recipes, articles, tips and links

Feed Me Better / Jamie Oliver  

The Food Studies Institute

The Food Systems Project

Health Canada

Heart and Stroke Foundation

Lunch Lessons, Chef Ann Cooper

Making it Happen: Healthy Eating at School

Mission Nutrition Program

School Lunch Initiative

A few of the books we use:

• On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, Harold McGee, Simon and Schuster, 2004
• What Einstein Told His Cook, Robert L. Wolke, W.W. Norton and Co., 2002 (also What Einstein Told His Cook 2, 2005)
• Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser, Houghton Mifflin, 2001
• Chew On This, Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson, Houghton Mifflin, 2006 (young readers version of Fast Food Nation)
• Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children, Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes, Collins, 2006
• What To Eat, Marion Nestle, North Point Press, 2006
• In Defence of Food, Michael Pollan, Penguin Press, 2008
• The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat, Young Readers Addition, Michael Pollan, Dial Books, 2009
• Food Rules: An Eater's Manual, Michael Pollan, Penguin Books, 2009
• Why Shouldn't I Eat Junk Food, Kate Knighton, Usborne Publishing Ltd, 2008
• How to Read a French Fry and Other Stories of Intriguing Kitchen Science, Houghton Mifflin, 2001
• Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Peter Menzel and Faith d'Aluisio , Ten Speed Press, 2005
• Food Lover's Companion, Sharon Tyler Herbst, Barron's Educational Series, 2001
• "Grow BC" A Guide to BC's Agriculture Resources, The British Columbia Agriculture In the Classroom Foundation, 2002

A few food-related books for children that can be used for many classroom activities:

• I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato, Lauren Child, Candlewick Press, 2003
• Food Play, Saxton Freymann, Joost Elffers, Chronicle Books, 2006
• How Are You Peeling?, Foods With Moods, Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers, Scholastic, 1999
• Everything on a Waffle, Polly Horvath, Douglas and McIntyre, 2001
• A Vegetable Collection: Recipes and Rhymes to Conquer Kids of All Ages, Dorothy Perillo Linder, Sanctuary Books, 2008
• Chicks and Salsa, Aaron Reynolds and Paulette Bogan, Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2007
• Duck Soup, Jackie Urbanovic, Harper Collins, 2008
• Fairy Tale Feasts, Jane Yolen, Heidi Stemple, Philippe Beha, Tradewind Books, 2006
• Alligator Arrived with Apples: A Potluck Alphabet Feast, Crescent Dragonwagon, Macmillan Publishing Co., 1987
• Alfalfabet A to Z: The Wonderful Words for Agriculture, Carol Watterson and Michela Sorrentino, BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation, 2009
• Everybody Cooks Rice, Norah Dooley, Carolrhoda Books, 1991
• Pumpkin Soup, Helen Cooper, Picture Corgi Book, 1999

Some recipe books for children and families we like:

• Family Cookbook, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Fizz Carr, Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., 2005
• The Complete Canadian Living Cookbook. Elizabeth Baird, Random House, 2001
• Kitchen Garden Cooking with Kids, Stephanie Alexander, Penguin Group (Australia), 2006
• The Spatulatta Cookbook, Isabella and Olivia Gerasole, Scholastic, 2007. The book and accompanying website, are recipes for kids, by kids
• The Good Food Book for Families, Brenda Bradshaw and Cheryl Mutch, Random House Canada, 2008
• Fanny at Chez Panisse, Alice Waters, Harper Perennial, 1992
• Pretend Soup, Molly Katzen, Tricycle Press, 1994 (Also Honest Pretzels, 1999, Salad People, 2005)
• Knead It, Punch It, Bake It, Judith and Evan Jones, Houghton Mifflin, 1998
• The Kids Can Press Jumbo Cookbook, Judy Gillies, Kids Can Press, 2000
• Veggie Kids, Roz Denny, Southwater, 2002
• Many Hands: Community Kitchens Share Their Best, Community Kitchens Publishing, 2005
• The Healthy Lunchbox, Marie McClendon and Cristy Shauck, Small Steps Press, 2005
• 52 Brilliant Ideas For Raising a Healthy Eater, Mandy Francis, Penguin Group, 2006
• Chef Bobo's Good Food Cookbook, Robert Surles, Meredith Books, 2004
• Family Table: Recipes and Strategies, Marie Breton and Isabelle Edmond, Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2008
• Bake Better Bites: Recipes and Tips for Healthier Baked Goods, Dietitians of Canada,
• Get Cooking: 150 Recipes to Get You Started In The Kitchen, Molly Katzen, Harper Studio, 2009