Don’t forget to submit your entries to the 4-H office by the 3rd of the next month! Send a photo of your completed challenge to abbyb@klickitatcounty.org to be entered into our drawing for prizes at the end of our 4-H year.
Instructions
JUNE 2021
The Challenge: Build a Food Chain!
What you need: Paper, Pens, Tape or Stapler. Something to hang your chain on.
How to prepare: Set some goals for the summer about what sort of foods you want to try. New recipes? New vegetables? More foods from local farmers? How many foods do you want to try? Follow the acronym S.M.A.R.T. to set your goals.
S, – Specific, set real numbers like “I want to try 3 new fruits, 3 new vegetables, and 2 new recipes in the month of July.”
M. – Measurable, you can measure the number of foods you want to try and how you’ll track that.
A. – Attainable, make sure you can actually reach your goal with the resources available. If you are not near a farmers market or grocery store you can still try new fruits and veggies by using frozen foods or meal planning to use fresh fruits and veggies when you can. Maybe you need to talk to your adults about the food budget and how you plan to try new foods instead of foods you have had before.
R. – Relevant, talk with your adults about how capable you are of reaching this goal. Be honest.
T. – Time-based, think about when and how frequently you will try new foods.
Find local food! 
Resource: Learn about Farmers Markets in the Columbia Gorge! Farmers’ markets are for everyone, and you may be able to use matching SNAP funds to help stretch your food budget. https://gorgegrown.com/snap/
What to do: Record your tried foods with a visual chain tracker.
How to make a Paper Chain:
- Take your construction paper and cut it into strips about an inch in height
- Loop one strip of paper and staple it into a circle
- Pass the second strip of paper through the center of the first circle and staple the second strip into a circle
Making your Food Chain
- Before you attach your papers to the chain, write the name of the food you or your family member tried on the paper as well as the date. You can even draw a picture of the food if you want!
Reflection Questions:
Were you surprised by any of the foods you tried? How did you incorperate fresh, frozen, or canned foods into your exploration? Do you feel more excited or scared to try new foods? Do you feel more excited or scared to try new things? Was it helpful to try new things and stick with your goals? Do you want to set any additional goals to try new foods or new experiences?
Research:
Even More Fun: We recommend including your family in this experience by asking them to help try new foods. Make it a family activity to share what everyone thought of the new food and allow others to build their own food chains or build onto your own food chain!
For Fair Entry: You can document your process and enter your food chain. Try adding a drawing to each chain. You can make a poster about this activity or share a presentation. Enter a food item you made utilizing a new food you tried!
Be sure to refer to the premium book for specifics. For the Klickitat County Fair specific contest details for entering foods can be found on our Project Forms Page under Foods Day.
