Connecting Kids to the Land

By Virginia Pearson, Teacher, Midwest Food Connection

Ask a few kids where their food comes from. I'll bet most will say the grocery store and not give it any more thought. We live in a time when city dwellers, most just three or four generations removed from rural and farm life, have little awareness of the origins of their food and do not connect the food they eat with the land (co-op shoppers excluded of course). "Connecting with the land" is an abstract concept and certainly not one most city kids make. So, what does a connection with the land mean?

Some farmers, poets and environmental stewards speak of that connection as a deep sense of belonging to the land. It may have been seeded in their core as children or come from their work on the land. As urban folks, we might equate this feeling to belonging to a neighborhood or community. The feeling of belonging can motivate us to nurture, care for and contribute to the well-being of the whole. A connection to the land is the same. It can happen if we dig in and spend time on the land. If you live in the country or on a farm it can happen easily, but city residents have to seek opportunities to make this connection happen. A child's visit to a farm can spark the beginning or plant the seed of connection with the land. I've seen it happen.

Every school year in May, the staff of the Midwest Food Connection take several classes of elementary school children to visit an organic farm. We introduce sustainable farming methods and soil preservation such as cover crops and composting in our classroom lessons, but there is nothing like seeing these practices first hand. Understanding the miracle of composting is much easier when you can see and touch the rich, dark humus the compost pile produces.

The farm trips are my favorite part of our program. I even enjoy the noisy bus ride with the kids! Two classrooms of third graders from Emerson Spanish Immersion, a Minneapolis public school not far from the Wedge, are my companions on this trip to Al and Jean Peterson's Produce, in Delano, just west of the Twin Cities.

Imagine sitting with me as the bus finally rolls out of the city, through the suburbs and into the countryside. As we see the first green fields the children's anticipation builds. I hear the kids point out the cool sights they see along the way. "Look, caballos!" a boy yelled. "Horses" whispered his buddy, quietly correcting him. When we pull off the highway and onto the dirt road leading to the farm, the children are more than ready to absorb the many lessons the farm environment has to offer. I love watching the kids pile out of the busses, break free of the line formation and scatter over the field. On this school day these kids trade their books and pencils for soil, water and sunshine in order to learn what goes into the growing of food. We make a connection!

Most kids quickly take to life on the farm. Yes, there are always a few who recoil at their first direct encounters, worried about itchy grass on their legs, a bothersome bug or getting dirty, but the majority of children engage immediately with the first things they see. Even those who hesitate at first, eventually find something to like on the farm. Usually it's the wagons and hay stacks or the barn. It might be a worm wiggling in their palm or learning to whistle with a leaf. It's all good and so exciting! One girl discovered an aromatic plant called pineapple weed, carried it all morning and made everybody take a sniff. It seems the kids even enjoy working on the farm.

During our visit, the busy yet gracious farmers allow us to help with the spring vegetable planting. For city people we do pretty well with a few hours of farm labor. We take turns at a number of tasks and feel pretty good about our contribution. But there's more going on here than meets the eye.

Yes, we have our hands in the soil touching roots. We sprinkle water on seedlings, and carefully pat soil around their tiny stems while we help with the transplanting. We step carefully between the rows of young tomato plants stopping to pound a supporting stake next to each. Later, we sit on the grass to rest a while and eat lunch. Some kids lie back on the grass and watch the clouds. Others gaze out over the fields or listen for the calls of birds. As I said, there's more going on here than meets the eye. You may have guessed. It's the quiet forming of our connection with the land.

All too soon it's time to leave. While we thank Jean and Al for letting us visit during this busy time, the children beg to return in the fall. They want to see the pumpkins we are told will fill the fields where we stand. Seeds in the soil- pumpkins in the fall- that's a basic food connection, wouldn't you agree?

The other day I got a call from one of the Emerson teachers thanking the co-ops and Midwest Food Connection for the farm trip. On the last day of school she had asked the kids to name their favorite experience of the school year. Many agreed it was their visit to the farm! They'd made the connection.

Midwest Food Connection, with funding from the Wedge and other Twin City Co-ops, offers elementary school classes in natural foods and sustainable farming practices in schools throughout the Twin Cities and suburbs. Additional information about our program is available by calling (612) 871-3993 ext. 425 or by email, mfc@wedge.coop.