FOOD IS ELEMENTARY: A HANDS-ON CURRICULUM FOR YOUNG STUDENTS.

Food is Elementary is a research-based program modeled after the successful Trumansburg, New York, study, "Food Education in the Elementary Classroom." This study, created by Antonia Demas at Cornell University as a doctoral dissertation, demonstrated a dramatic gain in acceptance of diverse, healthful foods among elementary school children participating in the school lunch program. Children completing the curriculum were found to be 20 times more likely to choose healthful foods in the school cafeteria as compared with children who had not been exposed to the curriculum.

Now the complete curriculum for Demas' award-winning school meals curriculum is available in an easy-to-use, spiral-bound workbook. Winner of the prestigious National Award for Excellence in Nutrition Education (Society for Nutrition Education, 1994) and the US Department of Agriculture's National Award for Most Creative Implementation of the Dietary Guidelines (1994), this unique, hands-on, experiential curriculum integrates academic disciplines with food, nutrition, culture, and the arts.

The Food is Elementary curriculum consists of 28 lessons designed to be taught in one academic year. Children prepare foods cooperatively with their peers. The first 14 lessons require no stove, while the second 14 lessons require students to cook on a hotplate. The curriculum can be adapted for use year after year, adjusting activities to accommodate the changing abilities and needs of students in higher grades. Best of all, the recipes are all vegan. This book is highly recommended.

Food is Elementary is published by Food Studies Institute. The book is 152 pages. Copies are available for $25.00 each. Send check or money order and a self-addressed mailing label to: Carolyn P. Landis, Treasurer, Food Studies Institute, 201 Crandon Boulevard, Suite 170, Key Biscayne, FL 33149. You can also call [phone] or e-mail <[e-mail]>. Reviewed by Suzanne Havala, MS, RD.