South SFV Today

On a hot summer day on an 11-acre farm in Sunnyvale, a group of elementary school students gathered in a cool enclosure covered in vines and leaves. Stanford undergraduate Kathryn “Kat” Alexander, ’26, read them a story and then asked what they did with the kale and carrots they received the day before.

“I ate the carrot before I left. I liked it,” a boy said as a red tractor chugged through a nearby field. “I put the kale on tacos,” he added.

“I put the kale in my dad’s famous soup,” a girl said. Another child mentioned adding it to their ravioli.

“I didn’t do anything yet,” another child replied.

“‘Yet’ is a really good word,” Alexander told the group. “So, what are your plans for how you will use the kale?”

Alexander and Izzy Preble, ’26, are Stanford Human Biology Research Exploration (HB-REX) interns who served as camp counselors and researchers at Farm to Table Camp this summer. They led intervention studies on how to get kids to eat more vegetables while showing them where their food comes from. For 14 years, Stanford’s Nutrition Studies Research Group has partnered with the Santa Clara Unified School District to host the camp at the school’s farm.

“Izzy and I have been super excited about the growth mindset – the idea that you might not like something yet, and having kids try new vegetables for the first time,” Alexander said. “On the first day, some parents said their kids wouldn’t try a single vegetable, and then when we tell them what they tried here, they’re almost in tears; they are so excited. It’s been such a rewarding part of this process.”

To foster children’s connection to where their food comes from, Alexander and Preble created storytelling interventions and narrative-building activities that bring the food system to life as “veggie superheroes” with “seasoning sidekicks.”

They also drew on advice from their mentor Christopher Gardner, director of the Nutrition Studies Research Group: “We wanted to challenge ourselves to be good communicators not only in how we report and publish this research but also to empower kids with scientific knowledge about why veggies are important,” Alexander said.

“This is a super unique opportunity not only to conduct hands-on work on a farm but also design our own research project and learn about research processes," Preble added.

Gardner first learned of SCUSD's farm at the 2010 Stanford Food Summit. Hopeful that it could provide research opportunities, Gardner quickly involved students from various Stanford programs including HB-REX internships and Graduate School of Education projects.

The camp has grown each year since its inception, serving more children and involving more Stanford students across disciplines interested in promoting healthy eating habits among children.

Exposure and engagement are key factors in encouraging children to eat more fruits and vegetables—lifelong habits that can help reduce chronic diseases. The camp's research found that children's involvement in growing or cooking vegetables increases their likelihood of eating them.

Three week-long camps cater to kindergarten through third-grade students while one week-long camp serves fourth through eighth graders. Approximately 25 students attend each session where they learn about food origins through hands-on activities like examining worms or water droplets under magnifying glasses and cooking at an outdoor pizza oven using produce they've grown themselves.

Each week concludes with families joining campers for handmade pizzas topped with farm-grown vegetables—a celebration of learning achievements throughout their stay at Farm to Table Camp.

Natacha Costa oversees Farm to Table Camp: "It’s fun teaching kids farming basics along with easy recipes they'll enjoy."

Nico Estrada, 7 years old: "I like trying new things at camp like plums—they're pretty good."

SCUSD Assistant Superintendent Kathie Kanavel emphasized how well this initiative aligns with district-wide environmental literacy efforts: "Bringing research into our programs has long been valued by us."

Linda Koh has supported expanding these efforts via grants including $100K from Ardmore Institute last year aimed at enhancing facilities like greenhouses while developing curriculum furthering counselor training efforts towards broader implementation goals beyond SCUSD boundaries eventually aiming towards wider adoption models elsewhere potentially replicating successes observed locally already thus far seen benefiting participants directly involved firsthand experiencing tangible positive impacts resulting ongoing educational outreach initiatives currently underway today continuing forward future planning stages ahead looking promising indeed overall anticipated outcomes expected favorable generally speaking optimistically viewed moving forward hopefully successfully achieving intended objectives ultimately realized effectively meeting desired results achieved accordingly envisioned ideally reaching full potential maximized fully optimized efficiently delivered comprehensively 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