At Mark Twain Middle School in Los Angeles, a blooming garden serves as a classroom. Students learn math by measuring the growth of wheat, ancient history by building a Mesopotamian-style irrigation system and the science of evaporation, evolution and genetics by watching their garden grow. At lunchtime you will find them snacking on pasta tossed in a sauce featuring just-picked tomatoes and basil.
Healthful eating is linked to academic achievement and some students rely on school meals for most of their daily nutrition. Keonta Johnson, a Mark Twain sixth-grader sitting with three of his friends, said they enjoyed such healthful cafeteria fare as rice and beans, salads and fruits. “We know if we eat too much junk food we’ll get fat and have a greater chance of heart attacks and diabetes.” Edwin Castro, a seventh-grader, said lessons in eating habits, history and other subjects that employed hands-on work out in the school garden have been far more exciting than just reading textbooks.
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