In November, 2018, the Culture of Health Academy (CHA) added two aeroponic towers. These towers will provide CHA students, and all students brought to the New Jersey Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health by NJHKI, the opportunity to grow, observe, prepare, and taste over 20 different vegetables, herbs, and fruits right inside the classroom. School garden programs have been shown to increase children’s vegetable intake, in addition to improving attitudes, willingness to try, knowledge, and culinary literacy skills. The towers have become part of the educational curriculum with books focused on plants, physical activity where they act out the life cycle of a seed with their bodies, counting plants, describing the colors of the plants, and tasting what is grown.
