How do you get kids excited about fruits and vegetables? In this episode, we visit Drew Charter School in Atlanta to see how Small Bites Adventure Club is helping students try new foods through hands-on cooking and classroom experiences. You will hear how educators are using simple, practical tools to teach healthy eating habits, build kitchen confidence, and turn picky eaters into curious young chefs.

Small Bites Adventure Club

 

Children refusing vegetables is nothing new, but inside one Atlanta classroom, that story is starting to change. At Drew Charter School, students are learning to taste, prepare, and even enjoy foods they once avoided. Through Small Bites Adventure Club, educators are introducing fruits and vegetables in a way that feels less like a lesson and more like an adventure.

The program was created to give teachers simple, ready-to-use tools for food education. Founder Erin Croom saw a gap between the idea of farm-to-school programs and the day-to-day reality teachers face in the classroom. By focusing on hands-on experiences, seasonal recipes, and approachable techniques, the program helps students build familiarity with new foods while gaining confidence in the kitchen.

In one lesson, students gather around a mystery ingredient that turns out to be zucchini. They mix herbs, measure ingredients, and practice safe knife skills before tasting their final creation together. What follows is often the most surprising part. Kids who once resisted vegetables begin asking for them at home. For teachers and families alike, it is proof that exposure, curiosity, and a little peer encouragement can go a long way.

 

Georgia Grown Logo