HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — As a kid around the dinner table, you’d often hear your parents say, "eat your vegetables." However, there are many kids that don’t have the opportunity to eat their veggies.
The majority of students who attend Mort Elementary School are on free or reduced lunch, according to Principal Latisha Hailey-Brown.
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“Sometimes when you are looking at fresh fruits and vegetables, they can be very expensive and they are not as accessible. So, for our students, we would like to give them that opportunity. Not just for pineapples, but kiwi, blood oranges, things that you typically wouldn’t taste,” said Hailey-Brown.
However, getting kids really excited about veggies, you have to make peas and carrots fun.
On Monday, several teachers dressed up like fruits and vegetables. Students were also broken up into five different houses and battled each other in a Harry Potter-themed competition called Nutrition Quidditch.
“So, the more that we can expose them to other options of healthy eating is what we wanted to get them in tuned with,” said Hailey-Brown.
The hope is that students learn farm-to-table concepts they can do on their own.
“The kids need a healthy meal. So, now they get to learn how to grow certain things that they can grow at home, or a school, and learn the benefits of it the nutritional value,” said Hailey-Brown.
