About Sprouting Together
Program Design
Sprouting Together, INC is a non-profit business with curriculum designed by two Wisconsin certified educators
with over 50 years of public school teaching experience between them.
The curriculum is appropriate for children in 4K through fourth grade and was prepared
taking into account the Wisconsin state standards in Science and Health for primary grades.
The program has four levels: SEEDS, ROOTS , STEMS and LEAVES.
Program Goals
The Sprouting Together program focuses on nutrition, health, gardening and the social benefits of communal eating. All levels experience seed sowing, plant care and the benefits of composting. Games increase understanding of seed diversity, plant parts and vegetable/fruit nutrition. Every lesson concludes with "polite" food tasting of vegetables and fruit. Discussions evolve around making healthy food choices and the joys of family meals.
How We Can Help Your Family
Parents receive weekly newsletters with recipes, nutrition information, and family follow-up activities to the lessons taught. The Sprouting Together newsletters promote healthy eating choices, encourage sustainable practices and offer activities that foster quality family time through food preparation and family meals.
American Food Practices
Nutrition and gardening educational materials are readily found. However, student material addressing the benefits of regular communal meals is in short supply. That, plus several disturbing trends seen and developing in our country prompted the development of Sprouting Together. The most recent report from the journal of the American Medical Association indicates that more than one-third of adults and 17% of youth in the United States are obese.
Other concerting issues include the lack of understanding of from where our food comes, the sedentary nature of many of today’s children from the overuse of electronics and social media and the decrease of communication within the family. We conducted an informal survey with 300 4th graders in the spring of 2016 that showed an alarming percentage of children (50%) eat dinner in front of a TV and less than 30% ate with one or both parents.
The lessons in Sprouting Together not only promote the eating and growing of healthy food, but also address the social/emotional benefits of communal eating within a circle of family or friends where communication skills are practiced. Parent newsletters will include statistics and information to support the importance of not only what we eat, but how we eat.
Help Our Cause
With your support, Sprouting Together can enrich the lives of students in Lake Country area schools. We seek to teach students about healthy living regardless of their financial status, but we need your help to make this program a reality. Your assistance means the world to us!
