Mixed Greens

Mixed Greens is growing a bumper crop of smart, healthy kids in the greater Grand Rapids area by connecting them with food -- how it grows, where it grows, and what it takes to grow it.

Using vegetable gardens and kitchen classrooms, we teach youth about health, nutrition, local agriculture, and the environment. The experience of growing food in vegetable gardens and preparing it in easy recipes helps children apply their lessons in a hands-on setting, exposes them to vegetables they might not have tried before, and rewards them with a sense of accomplishment as they care for the gardens and their health. 

Our semester-length curriculum focuses on teaching students age six to sixteen the importance of our food system and its connection to the natural world. Season-specific lessons explore the wonderful bounty that comes with Michigan’s ever-changing seasons. Whether growing and tasting fresh Michigan strawberries in June or slicing into a hardy butternut squash in November, students are continually exposed to unique, nutritious, and tasty foods, all of which are grown locally in or around Grand Rapids. 

In 2010, Mixed Greens is being offered to CA Frost Elementary LOOP students thanks to a generous donation from Amway's One by One Campaign. In addition, a ten-week summer day camp program is available to anyone ages six to sixteen who is interested in learning about food systems and sustainable agriculture.

Summer Day Camp

The Blandford Farm

Mixed Greens is one of a handful of urban agriculture programs offered at Blandford Nature Center. Contact us to learn more and get involved.