THE TRADITIONS LIBRARY
Field or Barn
Where did your dinner begin? Follow the ingredients on your plate back to the plants and animals they came from, letting each answer lead to another question.
Shared by:
The December Family
0010
CATEGORY
Mealtime
FREQUENCY
Daily
AGES
All Ages
COST
Free
The Story Behind It
Field or Barn started because I wanted the children to understand more about how they were fuelling their bodies. I wanted them to feel connected to their food - to know what they were eating, what was in it, and where it came from.
At first, we simply identified ingredients and whether they came from a plant (Field) or an animal (Barn). As the children grew, the conversations grew with them. Pasta became a question about flour and eggs. Sauce became tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices - and then we wanted to know which spices.
We started talking about what plants need to grow, which parts of an animal different meats come from, what those animals eat, and even the sounds they make. One ingredient could take us in all sorts of directions.
We have learned so much about plants and animals through these conversations and looking up the answers together. Sometimes I do a little searching before dinner so I have a few interesting facts about our ingredients ready to share.
What You'll Need
A meal or snack and a little curiosity.
A recipe, ingredient label, book, or phone can help you investigate questions together. If you like, look up a few facts about an ingredient before the meal so you have something interesting to share.
Make It Your Own
With younger children, begin with naming foods, making animal sounds, or guessing whether something grows on a tree or under the ground.
As children grow, explore recipes, farming, food processing, transport, and how different foods help fuel our bodies. Choose one ingredient and see how far you can trace its journey.
Let children bring a food fact to the table or choose the ingredient everyone investigates. An unanswered question can become something to look up and share at the next meal.
Keep it curious and welcoming. There is no need to quiz anyone, judge what is on their plate, or ask them to eat something to participate.
How It’s Done
During a meal, choose something someone is eating or drinking and ask, “Field or Barn?”
“Field” is our shorthand for something that grows, and “Barn” means something that comes from an animal. They are starting points for the conversation; the food might actually come from an orchard, a garden, the ocean, or somewhere else entirely.
Start with an ingredient everyone can see, then follow the questions:
• What plant or animal does this come from?
• Does it grow above the ground, underground, on a tree, or on a vine?
• Which part of the plant are we eating?
• What does that plant need to grow?
• What sound does that animal make, and what does it eat?
• Which part of the animal does this meat come from?
• What had to happen before this ingredient reached our plate?
For foods made from several ingredients, work backwards together. What is in the pasta? What is in the sauce? Which ingredients came from plants, and which came from animals? Check the package or recipe when you need a clue.
We let the conversation wander and look up answers when we don’t know. Sometimes one ingredient is plenty; other nights, we explore most of the meal. Everyone gets to be curious, including the grown-ups.