Blog | iowafarm2ece

Jan 22, 2020
3 min

A Recipe for a Successful Read Aloud

Think about your favorite recipe or when you look up a new meal to prepare. Every recipe has at least two parts: 1) the ingredient list 2) the method to prepare When you cook, you need to know what to put into the dish. To make an omelet, the egg is a key ingredient! The cook needs to know what to do with the eggs as well...How to crack the egg, what to do with the shell, how to scramble, and how to learn the consistency needed in the pan before flipping. All these tasks take

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Alicia Weithers

Jan 14, 2020
4 min

Get Outside and Play!

Winters in Iowa can be an overwhelming time for childcare programs. The weather swings back and forth like a pendulum, one day nice, the next day bitter cold. Many stay holed up until the weather turns favorable again, but the common Swedish maxim “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes," is completely true. Basically, it means GET OUTSIDE AND PLAY! That one liner seems so easy to say, but have you ever tried to wrangle 12 little ones into winter gear? It’s li

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Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Make #HealthyChoicesCount

Lauren Kollauf

Dec 12, 2019
2 min

Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Make #HealthyChoicesCount

New year, new goals! The upcoming new year is a great time to implement changes that make the healthy choice the easy choice at your early care site. Make it your resolution to register as a 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! Site. Upon signing up, your site will join a network of nearly 500 other child care providers, schools, after-school programs, workplaces and health care clinics across the state working towards healthier environments where young Iowans live, learn and play.

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Staci Hemesath, RDN, LD

Oct 17, 2019
2 min

Fall Field Trip Fun=Farm to ECE!

When asked the question, “Have you heard of Farm to ECE?” many will say no. Maybe it’s the formal name or the acronym “ECE?” Whatever it is, if you’re working with young children, I am willing to bet you practice some form of Farm to ECE in your setting and don’t realize it. One of the most common Farm to ECE activities this time of year is the annual field trip to the apple orchard or pumpkin patch. Picking apples from trees or seeing fields of pumpkins on their vines are va

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Lauren Kollauf

Sep 10, 2019
2 min

4 Ways to Celebrate 5-2-1-0 in October

September is nearly halfway over, so it's time to start looking ahead to October. It’s all about 5-2-1-0! Whether your child care site is new to 5-2-1-0 or already registered and ready for more, there are a variety of ways your staff and students can make “Healthy Choices Count!” during the month of October. October is Healthiest State Month and throughout the month we will celebrate healthy habits, culminating in the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! Summit on October 22 at Des

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Tiny Garden, HUGE Impact: Indoor Gardening in the Classroom

Kaye Lindsley

Aug 25, 2019
2 min

Tiny Garden, HUGE Impact: Indoor Gardening in the Classroom

A note about the author: Kaye Lindsley is a Montessori preschool teacher and Summer Programs Assistant Coordinator at Willowwind School in Iowa City, IA. Did you know you can grow carrots INSIDE? You need the correct set up, but it is certainly possible! Just ask my preschoolers at Willowwind School. First, you need the right kind of carrot - Tonda di Parigi carrots, to be specific. They are somewhere between the size of a cherry tomato and a radish. I purchased a packet at E

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Iowa State Fair: Little Hands LEARNING on the Farm

Krista Smith

Aug 6, 2019
3 min

Iowa State Fair: Little Hands LEARNING on the Farm

Ask someone to tell you their favorite thing about the Iowa State Fair. I’ll bet my grandstand tickets that the answer you get includes something edible. Probably on a stick. It’s true that corn dogs draw the masses. But this eleven day foodfest is truly a fantastic celebration of Iowa’s people and the state’s rich agricultural heritage. An Iowa State Fair ticket is an invitation to experience and to learn. Did you know? During the fair, an average of 18 cows are milked d

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Do you like puzzles? Here is one to use every day!

Rick Roghair

Jul 28, 2019
1 min

Do you like puzzles? Here is one to use every day!

A note about the author: Rick Roghair is the Professional Development Manager for the Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children. The Iowa Core Knowledge of Child Development assists every adult with ideas, no matter who they are or how they connect in a positive way with children from birth to age five. As a Farm to ECE provider, you understand this piece more than most. You know that balanced nutrition and physical activity help set the stage for healthy habits an

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Kids in the Kitchen: Ways to Foster Independence

Katherine Bangert, M. Ed

Jul 18, 2019
2 min

Kids in the Kitchen: Ways to Foster Independence

The kitchen probably has to be one of the most favorite places for children to play – but they can also learn a lot, too! It is a natural place for young children to take steps toward independence in concrete, fun, and creative ways. By providing a few items within their grasp and reviewing safety, you are setting them up for success! Every child has a huge capability of learning and they can surprise us a lot if we just trust and allow them to be independent. Preparing food

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Book Review: 'Mrs. Peanuckle's Vegetable Alphabet'

Haleisa Johnson

Jun 30, 2019
1 min

Book Review: 'Mrs. Peanuckle's Vegetable Alphabet'

By: Mrs. Peanuckle Illustrations: Jessie Ford Over a year ago, I was at a Farm to Early Care and Education conference and won the book ‘Mrs. Peanuckle’s Vegetable Alphabet.' I won the book for participating in a cooking contest with the challenge of making a kid-friendly kale hummus. The hummus conquered the judges' taste buds, thus I received the book. Board books and vegetables are both favorites of mine so it was a great prize. Mrs. Peanuckle’s Vegetable Alphabet introduc

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Oh Snap! FoodCorps Snaps for Snap Peas this Summer

Nathan Spalding

Jun 11, 2019
3 min

Oh Snap! FoodCorps Snaps for Snap Peas this Summer

A note about the author: Nathan Spalding is the Iowa FoodCorps Food Program Coordinator. It’s that much-anticipated time of year when teachers pack up their colorfully adorned classrooms and students clean out their lockers before setting off into the summer sun. But as the school year comes to close, communities are gearing up for a summer of continued learning and summer meals. In Iowa, 10 FoodCorps service members are joining summer schools, meal sites, and day camps to de

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Anita Schuckert

May 21, 2019
2 min

Farm to School Song

Lyrics written by: Anita Schuckert, Owner of Little Steps & Beyond Day Care, Iowa City, IA (Sung to the tune, “She’ll Be Comin' Round the Mountain") If you grow food in your garden, plant a seed and pull a weed If you grow food in your garden, dig and hoe and sow a row If you grow food in your garden, eating fresh is all you know If you grow food in your garden... Dig and hoe, sow a row, Pull a weed and plant a seed If you shop at Farmers Markets, take a bite, Crunch, Crunch

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Heather McNamara

May 2, 2019
3 min

Gather Around for Meal Time

A note about the author: Heather McNamara is a Child Care Consultant with Region 4 Child Care Resource and Referral. Eating together, sharing conversation and laughter, is something that adults often do with friends, coworkers, and significant others. However, with the world becoming busier and schedules becoming more hectic every day, it is often challenging to find the time to sit down together and have a meal as a family. Think about the times that you’ve had the opportuni

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Staci Hemesath, RDN, LD

Apr 23, 2019
3 min

Container Gardening for Beginners

It’s almost May and that means warmer temps and no. more. frost. Hooray! If you’ve been thinking about trying your hand at gardening, now is a great time to start. If a raised bed or in-ground garden are too ambitious right now, container gardening is perfect for beginners with limited time and resources. If you are a child care provider or parent of young children, gardening is a fantastic way to teach children where food comes from and to encourage a taste for vegetables at

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Making Earth Day Count: Fun and Healthy Ways to Encourage Nature Appreciation

Katherine Bangert

Apr 11, 2019
3 min

Making Earth Day Count: Fun and Healthy Ways to Encourage Nature Appreciation

Earth Day was founded in 1970 as a day of education about environmental issues. Earth Day 2019 occurs on Monday, April 22. The holiday is now a global celebration that is sometimes extended into Earth Week, a full seven days of events focused on green living. Ok, so, what is green living? Green living is a lifestyle that attempts to bring balance between working with nature instead of against it (that can eventually be sustained in the long term). The best way to achieve this

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Broccoli (and Early Learning Standards) are good for you!

Rick Roghair

Feb 27, 2019
2 min

Broccoli (and Early Learning Standards) are good for you!

A note about the author, Rick Roghair is the Professional Development Manager at Iowa Association for the Education of Young Children. You already implement the Iowa Early Learning Standards. You just may not know it. Many early childhood professionals think the standards are too difficult to think about, let alone use every day… After a few attempts, you will find the planning process easier than you ever imagined. You will find yourself using current activities or lessons –

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A Recipe for a Successful Read Aloud

Get Outside and Play!

Looking for a New Year’s resolution? Make #HealthyChoicesCount

Fall Field Trip Fun=Farm to ECE!

4 Ways to Celebrate 5-2-1-0 in October

Tiny Garden, HUGE Impact: Indoor Gardening in the Classroom

Iowa State Fair: Little Hands LEARNING on the Farm

Do you like puzzles? Here is one to use every day!

Kids in the Kitchen: Ways to Foster Independence

Book Review: 'Mrs. Peanuckle's Vegetable Alphabet'

Oh Snap! FoodCorps Snaps for Snap Peas this Summer

Farm to School Song

Gather Around for Meal Time

Container Gardening for Beginners

Making Earth Day Count: Fun and Healthy Ways to Encourage Nature Appreciation

Broccoli (and Early Learning Standards) are good for you!

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