As part of the School Wellness Policy, Sycamore Canyon School in Newbury Park offers a school-wide taste testing nutrition program called, Try It You'll Like It! The program is designed to introduce youth to a variety of fruits and vegetables and raise excitement about trying something new. Monthly, seasonal tastings are offered during morning recess for grades K-5. Registered Dietitian, and parent of three boys, Chrissy Malone, understands the importance of establishing healthy eating habits in young children and says she was excited to help organize the program now in its sixth year. Past offerings have included purple carrots, sugar snap peas, kiwi, grape tomatoes, Asian pears, grapefruit, and jicama. In addition, students learn where the food comes from, how it grows, and other fun facts. The program is supported by the school PTSA and the community sponsors.

As students pour out into playground the big Try it You'll Like It! sign with colorful balloons and informational display grabs their attention. Some run right over while others approach with caution. Students are greeted by friendly parent volunteers handing out samples. They are praised for participating and encouraged to vote—thumbs up or thumbs down. Grade level votes are collected and stickers are handed out for those brave enough to taste.

Today, HAREC supported Try it, You'll Like It! by providing Fuyu persimmons. While handing out samples, the students asked many great questions…What is it? Where does it grow? What country are they from? Where can I buy these? Can I have seconds? The persimmon tasting was a great success creating a buzz and spurring conversation among the students. To extend the learning opportunity to parents, Malone displays the informational poster with nutrition facts and recipes in the school office throughout the month. Over 700 students participated in today's activity and for the majority, it was definitely a thumbs up experience.

Participants from near and far gathered at HAREC on November 1 for training on the 4-H Sustainable You! Summer Camp curriculum (grades 4-6) developed by Dr. Rosalyn Brain and colleagues from Utah State University. Educators from Kearney and Desert RECs, 4-H leaders from Riverside and Ventura Counties as well as local teachers, parents, and garden educators from various Ventura County school districts enjoyed a day of learning and hands-on activities.

Dr. Hayden-Smith, Sustainable Food Systems Strategic Initiative Leader and 4-H Youth, Family and Community Development Advisor, introduced the workshop and relayed staggering statistics on food waste. Recent research indicates that as a nation, we waste 40% of the food we produce. Americans throw out approximately $180 billion worth of food-an 8% increase since 2008-the last time the USDA calculated the total value of food loss from households, markets, and other food providers. She stressed the importance of starting the dialogue with youth and utilizing the activities from the Sustainable You! curriculum that center around food waste. She also reported that preliminary research conducted among youth participants at an HAREC program, the most significant behavior change as a result of education and intervention was seen in this area.

Chris Massa, 2014 REC summer intern, currently a Food Corps member based in Ventura helped lead the activities. The workshop, structured to simulate a camp setting, covered the five major areas of sustainability: land, air, food, energy, and water.

The 4-H Youth Development Programs at HAREC will host another Sustainable You! Train-the-Trainer.

Saturday, November 1st  from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (bring your own lunch)

Who should attend this hands-on training? REC educators, 4-H volunteers, teachers, garden educators, after-school leaders or anyone working with youth grades 4-6 and interested in adding a sustainability component  to their programs.

Sustainable You! is an interactive curriculum for youth. It was developed by Dr. Roslynn Brain and her colleagues at Utah State University Extension Sustainability and designed as a 4-H summer camp. Fun, hands-on activities help youth understand what it means to be sustainable. The camp format is broken down into five days, each based around one the the major areas of sustainability: Air, Energy, Water, Food, and Land. While the curriculum is written for ages 9-12, it can be easily adapted for all ages.

Chris Massa, our 2014 REC summer intern, will present. Chris is currently a Food Corps member working with Ventura Unified School District.

The workshop will be held at HAREC and is free. Space is limited and registration required.

For questions, contact Susana Bruzzone-Miller, Education Outreach Coordinator at HAREC sbmiller@ucanr.edu

Chris Massa, Food Corps service member presents at the 2014 Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Austin, Texas.  Seventh and eighth grade students from Balboa Middle School participated in this after school program-a collaborative effort between HAREC and Ventura Unified School District.

Chris will lead a new crop of student farmers-Fall 2014! We look forward to their return.

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