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Contact: Kelly Van Boxtel

(530) 400-5922, kelly@caff.org

Kiwifruit makes the grade at Esparto Elementary

Harvest of the Month tells students to "Consider Kiwifruit" with hands-on learning and activities in December

Esparto, CA (December, 2006)

Esparto Elementary opened its doors today to a new educational subject—the kiwifruit (kiwi). Throughout the month of December, kiwis will be the big feature on campus via Harvest of the Month, a program that highlights a different California grown fruit or vegetable each month and provides customized learning tools for educators, parents and students.  Kelly van Boxtel, the Farm-to-School coordinator will integrate kiwis into classroom activities and cafeteria menus to provide fun, hands-on learning for students to discover the taste, history and nutritional benefits of kiwis, as well as the importance of eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables every day and engaging in a minimum of one hour of physical activity.

Despite being about the size of an egg, kiwis are the most nutrient-dense of all major fruits. Just one serving of kiwi (two medium-sized kiwis) packs more potassium than a banana and more Vitamin C than an orange.  In the fruit and vegetable world, kiwis are also the richest source of lutein, which helps reduce cancer, heart disease and blindness. Kiwis also provide 18 percent of the recommended Daily Value for fiber and are a healthy source of folate, magnesium and Vitamin E. In addition, two medium kiwis have about 100 calories and no saturated fat. Kiwis are available year-round.

Harvest of the Month allows students to taste and explore a different fruit and vegetable each month in the classroom, in the cafeteria and through activities in science, math, English and history. By incorporating the kiwi into this month’s curriculum, educators can help students learn about the nutritional benefits of kiwis, the origin, fun facts, botanical information and the California kiwi industry — even tasty ways to make a meal or snack using kiwis. 

Harvest of the Month is a program developed by the California Department of Health Services’ Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section for the California Nutrition Network for Healthy, Active Families with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Stamp Program. This project also received support and guidance from the California Department of Education as well as other educators, curriculum specialists, child nutrition staff, agricultural groups and organizations. It is designed for use by teachers, child nutrition staff and school faculty. As studies show that nutrition and physical activity directly impact a child’s performance and behavior in the classroom, the goal of HOTM is to motivate and empower students to increase consumption and enjoyment of a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables and to engage in physical activity every day. 

For more information, visit www.harvestofthemonth.com or contact Kelly Van Boxtel at (530) 400-5922

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