By Yaza Sarieh
Yaza Sarieh is a contractor for Farm to School at Georgia Organics and a Childhood Health and Wellness intern at the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Sign up today for the eighth annual Georgia Farm to School and Early Care and Education Summit, held virtually from Tuesday, April 27 through Saturday, May 1. The Summit features dynamic education sessions highlighting gardening, cooking with kids, local procurement, curriculum integration, and more! This event is hosted by Georgia Organics and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.
Photos courtesy of Ms. Ladybug
“I am so excited to see all of the wonderful human beings at Summit who make such an impact in Georgia F2ECE. When you embrace F2ECE as part of your mission, it opens lots of possibilities and safe, entertaining, healthy doors with loads of positive outcomes for children.”
Ms. Ladybug is the embodiment of her name—she is a garden-warrior and an exuberant advocate for F2ECE as a means of teaching children about the world around them.
Her tried-and-true methods of engaging with children focus on elevating children’s voices first, then using a silly, fun framework to get them excited about nature and the garden.
For example, to inspire students to eat fruits and vegetables, she gets them thinking by taking them outside to watch what worms eat. She asks questions like, ‘Do the worms like cheese? Or do they really like kale and watermelon?’ Ultimately, she has found that when students connect with nature and nutritious foods through these types of observations, they aspire to eat more nutritious foods too!
Photos courtesy of Ms. Ladybug
In addition, F2ECE has been a way for Ms. Ladybug to contextualize complex societal issues while promoting diversity and equity.
Photos courtesy of Ms. Ladybug
When the students are in the garden, Ms. Ladybug prompts them to notice individual plant needs and how some plants differ from others. This activity allows students to visualize equity. She invites the students to celebrate these differences and recognize the beauty and purpose that each plant gives to its ecosystem.
Ms. Ladybug believes that F2ECE not only provides students with a way to understand the world but that these meaningful connections teach them to care for their own and each other’s well-being.
During Ms. Ladybug’s Summit session, she will present creative and captivating ways in which you can incorporate simple F2ECE lessons into your daily activities.
Sign up today for the eighth annual Georgia Farm to School and Early Care and Education Summit, held virtually from Tuesday, April 27 through Saturday, May 1. The Summit features dynamic education sessions highlighting gardening, cooking with kids, local procurement, curriculum integration, and more! This event is hosted by Georgia Organics and the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning.