Last year, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. We caught it early, I received excellent treatment, and today I'm cancer free. So what is a breast cancer story doing on the Small Bites Adventure Club blog? October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Farm to School Month, and for me the two meet in one idea: prevention.

Food education and literacy have more in common than you might think! Exploring fruits and vegetables gives young children opportunities to build vocabulary, recognize letters, practice listening, and develop early reading and writing skills. For educators, food education offers a hands-on way to reinforce literacy through everyday classroom activities.

Caring for Georgia’s children means keeping them safe in every moment — especially during meals and snacks. That’s why the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) has launched Chop, Look, Listen, a new initiative designed to help early childhood educators prevent choking and promote safe eating habits.

What happens when a whole county goes all in on Farm to School? You get teachers  leading hands-on cooking classes, students tasting new vegetables, local farmers opening their fields to classrooms… resulting in nearly 1,000 children learning about where their food comes from.

October is National Farm to School Month, and you’re invited to celebrate with Small Bites Adventure Club. Register today for FREE hands-on food education resources, including our exclusive recipe activity, Lovely Lettuce with Lemony Vinaigrette, and a LIVE virtual read-aloud with author Katherine Pryor!

While eating fruits and vegetables is a critical part of a healthy diet, foods like lettuce, raspberries, sugar snap peas and herbs can sometimes carry harmful germs.  Learning how to properly wash, prepare, and care for food helps young chefs feel empowered to explore new ingredients and create delicious snacks and meals.

Research consistently shows that when kids have hands-on experiences with food – cooking, tasting, exploring – they are more likely to discover, eat, and even love fruits and vegetables. And yet… most kids still aren’t eating enough vegetables.  In fact, nearly half of young children don’t eat a daily vegetable at all.

March 2026 | Big, big thanks to every educator, student, and partner who jumped into our National Nutrition Month campaign and shook things up with the 1-2-3 Vinaigrette with Lettuce! From measuring and mixing to that first proud taste, classrooms across the country turned simple ingredients into hands-on learning (and some pretty delicious moments, too).

Sounds like the title of a children’s book, right? Imagine this: you’re a teacher, on lunchroom duty, listening to a group of kindergarteners talk over their lunch. One child says to another, “I like salad now, because we had lettuce in the library!”

Celebrate National Nutrition Month with Small Bites Adventure Club by making 1-2-3 Vinaigrette with Lettuce in your classroom! Sign up now!