During the Ohio Great Apple Crunch, groups of students, employees, 4-H members, and more bite into Ohio apples and learn about local foods. The official event takes place on October 10 at noon. However, Ohio will get credit for your “Crunch” anytime in October. The event is a great chance to highlight and celebrate National Farm to School Month.
“Farm to school”(PDF) refers to a broad range of activities involved in schools’ efforts to purchase, serve, and teach about local foods. Research suggests that students at schools and early childhood education sites that engage in Farm to school activities, particularly school gardens, eat more fruits and vegetables, are more willing to try new foods at school and home, understand seasonality better, and may experience improved academic achievement in science, math, language arts, and writing.
DID YOU KNOW?…
- Ohio is home to over 100 apple orchards.
- Ohio apple orchards produce 50 varieties and an average of 34.4 million pounds of fresh apples per year.
- Ohio is one of the top ten apple producing states.
- Students will eat more apples if they are served sliced!
GREAT APPLE CRUNCH activities can include:
- Graphing students’ favorite apple (green vs red)
- Calculating how many apples it takes to make a gallon of cider
- Apple costumes and “selfie” frames
- Apple songs and games
- Tastes tests of apple recipes and various apple varieties
- Trips to apple orchards
Whether you host an impromptu “crunch” in your office, take apples to a county commissioners’ meeting, or teach lessons about apples at local schools, you’ll bring fun and awareness to your community while fostering Farm to School activities through the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch.
Register for the 6th annual apple crunch through the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch website. Just click on “Ohio” to get resources specific to our state. Learn more and register for FREE!
Why register? When you register you will receive an updated copy of the Crunch Guide with tips on where to get local apples and how to celebrate the Great Apple Crunch. Your event will also be counted in our friendly competition among states (let’s beat Michigan!!) and to help us meet the regional goal of 1.6 MILLION CRUNCHES this year! Register here!
Like and follow @OhioFarm2School on Facebook to stay up to date on Apple Crunch news!
Share your excitement! Post your Great Apple Crunch photos at: #GreatAppleCrunch #OHapplecrunch #OhioFarmToSchool #F2SMonth. For Early Care and Education programs: #LittleCrunchers #OHLittleCrunchers
