The vocab word of the day was Food Miles. Farmer Mike and I thought that this term cleverly meshed concepts from my bicycle trip and food systems issues into a great lesson for his 5th graders in Goleta. We had a fantastic time looking at maps, talking about the distance food travels from farm to fork and planting carrots. The classes also were lucky enough to spot a praying mantis and watch a Monarch butterfly emerge from its cocoon. What a marvelous day in the garden!
The School Food Tour 
Wow. I’m impressed that your exposing 5th graders to so nuanced a subject as food miles. From what I know it’s hardly a cut-and-dried issue. The debate over open-air tomatoes from Mexico versus hot-house tomatoes from North Dakota just hints at the matter. I reckon if they’re growing in their own schoolyard, though, there can be no better way to eat.
Enjoy the coming few thousand miles.