Healthy foods for little kids
We are what we eat
We cater delicious food made from whole and natural ingredients grown locally. Our menu is seasonal as it adapts to the local farming activities. Our foods travel a maximum of 200 miles from the farm to our little tables. Some are even grown right in the city of Chicago, so our kids can visit some of the farms that feed them.
Our menus are designed by certified nutritionists who are experts in early childhood eating. We don't blend vegetables or shape ingredients. Our foods look like themselves so our kids learn to recognize and appreciate a nutritious meal.
Healthy eating habits
Teach a man to fish
and you feed him for a lifetime
Sprout Scouts is exposing infants, toddlers, and young children to fresh, local foods at a crucial age when they are developing food preferences and consumption patterns. We're building the foundation for lifelong good health and healthy choices.
We introduce new fruits, vegetables, and legumes monthly. Kids have many opportunities to try them, cooked in different styles and in combination with different flavors.
Sprout Scouts curriculum teaches where foods come from and how they affect our body. We create appreciation for farmers and all the people who work hard to get good food on our plates. We learn to take good care of ourselves and respect our hunger
Gardening
Every child belongs in a garden
Gardens are magical places full of surprises. Our program uses gardens to develop a lifetime of love and respect for nature. From learning that worms are garden friends to understanding where food comes from, gardens provide limitless opportunities to explore, and to learn from mistakes as well as successes. Gardens are a lesson on patience, love, and life.
We provide schools with whatever kind of garden they can accommodate—from a few pots of herbs in the window to a full vegetable garden outside—at no cost to the school. We train the staff to maintain the garden, and help teachers incorporate garden lessons into the broader curriculum to foster a deeper understanding of the natural world and a strong foundation for later exploration of the natural sciences.
Who is Sprout Scouts?
Learn more about who we are
1. Avoid foods that are pretending to be something they are not.
2. Eat mostly plants, especially leaves.
3. Avoid foods containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
4. Avoid food products that contain more than five ingredients.
5. Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce.
6. If it came from a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don't.
7. It's not food if it arrived through the window of your car.
8. Eat animals that have themselves eaten well.
9. Eat slowly.
10. It's ok to break the rules once in a while.
cues. We develop awareness for our environment and respect for nature. We learn proper names for foods and use accurate language for texture, flavor, nutritional value and health benefits. Meals are an exploration process where we are encouraged to touch, feel, smell, and taste the new foods. Each meal is followed by a processing time, where we share our experiences with the new foods and exchange food stickers.
We also go on field trips to our kitchens and farms and meet our chefs and farmers. We visit the farms at different times of the year to learn about fruits and vegetables and their growing seasons. Fun.
It's simple. We follow 10 basic principles
Check out our menu HERE
WE OFFER PLENTY OF THESE:
Whole grains
Natural sugars
Colorful vegetables and fruits
Fun finger foods and healthy dipping sauces
Foods to explore with a fork or spoon
New flavors, textures, and colors
Locally farmed ingredients
AND NONE OF THESE:
Trans fats and hydrogenated oils. Learn more
High fructose corn syrup. Learn more
Hormones and antibiotics. Learn more
Added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Learn more
Artificial colors or flavors. Learn more
Artificial preservatives. Learn more
Bleached flour. Learn more