FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- Several schools in Northwest Arkansas are taking the farm-to-school movement to a new level, including Holcomb Elementary School in Fayetteville.
Forty of their third and fourth graders have been busy getting their hands dirty in their cooking and gardening club where they plant, harvest and prepare their crops.
Katie Maschino, who helps teach the club, works with Food Crops, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating children about food and nutrition so they can make smart eating choices.
"Just understanding how your food is grown and where it comes from, that's such a powerful connection," she said. "It honestly creates a lot of ownership and engagement into it. They pick what they grow and we're going to eat it in just a minute. They're so much more willing to try it and keep those habits."
Once they've gathered their crops, the students get busy in the kitchen preparing their snacks. They've made everything from beet chips to pumpkin chili to vegetable pizzas.
The Fayetteville School District has 11 gardens used for after-school gardening clubs and outdoor learning labs.