Jacey Wesley and Tyne Bankester

In 2024, the Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge teamed up with LSU AgCenter’s Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program to establish the Adventuresome Eating Club. The club is designed to make healthy eating fun, engaging and educational for young children by introducing them to local, seasonal fruits and vegetables in a way that sparks curiosity and excitement about food.

The Adventuresome Eating Club takes place quarterly at the Knock Knock Children’s Museum, where each event turns healthy eating into an exciting adventure. Rather than traditional cooking classes, the club is enhanced by sensory exploration, helping children discover local, fresh produce through fun activities as well as interactive taste tests. The goal is to make healthy foods approachable, encouraging children to explore new flavors while discovering the benefits of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Studies have shown that the more kids are exposed to a variety of textures and flavors early in life, the more open they tend to be to trying new things as they grow. For example, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that children who are introduced to healthy fruits and vegetables at an early age were more willing to try those foods again and more likely to request them at home. These early positive experiences with new foods play a key role in helping to develop long-term healthy eating habits.

Standout features of the quarterly events are the taste tests, which highlight a variety of seasonal, locally grown fruits and vegetables. The Adventuresome Eating Club is a seamless partnership, with the Seeds to Success team preparing Louisiana Harvest of the Month recipes, such as cabbage and apple slaw, while the Knock Knock team provides fresh, raw produce, like strawberries, for kids to explore.

The combination of raw and prepared options helps kids see the versatility of fresh foods while giving them the chance to try new things they may not otherwise encounter at home or school. Through this experience, children can taste the sweetness of a Louisiana strawberry or enjoy the crunch of slaw made from fresh, local ingredients. The club encourages children to explore food in a fun, approachable way by tasting, observing and learning about seasonal produce.

“Through the Adventuresome Eating Club, we’re not just encouraging kids to make healthier choices,” said Crystal Besse, program director for the Seeds to Success Program. “We’re getting them excited about local, seasonal fruits and vegetables straight from Louisiana farms. This program helps connect children early on to the farm to school movement, supporting the community and fostering lifelong healthy eating habits.”

Taste tests play a vital role in helping build positive relationships with food. For many kids (and even adults), trying new foods can be intimidating. However, research shows that repeated exposure, sometimes as many as 12 times or more, helps to overcome hesitation and develop a preference for previously unfamiliar foods. Just as young kids might be hesitant to try cabbage at first, providing regular opportunities for them to try it in various forms can help them start to like it, and over time, they might even come to love it.

Engaging kids through hands-on activities — touching, smelling, seeing and tasting — helps them feel more comfortable and connected to what they are eating. Taste tests such as those being done through the Adventuresome Eating Club offer valuable sensory experiences for participants. These sensory explorations build familiarity, which can lead to more adventurous eating habits over time. By creating a playful, low-pressure environment, the Adventuresome Eating Club encourages curiosity and exploration, making healthy eating feel like an exciting adventure that extends far beyond the museum.

“Knock Knock Children’s Museum is an enthusiastic partner of LSU AgCenter in helping provide children and families with experiences and resources that encourage a healthy diet comprised of Louisiana-grown seasonal produce,” said Christina Melton, executive director of Knock Knock Children’s Museum. “Teaching children where their food comes from, from seed to fork, helps kids and parents make connections about what fuels their growing bodies. Exposing children early to healthy and delicious fruits and vegetables through our Adventuresome Eating Club in conjunction with LSU AgCenter’s Harvest of the Month programming can help set parents and children up for success in healthier living for life.”

Through the Adventuresome Eating Club, Knock Knock Children’s Museum and Seeds to Success: Louisiana Farm to School Program are helping families build foundations for lifelong wellness. The club shows that healthy eating can be an adventure by creating an environment that encourages exploration, discovery and family involvement. One bite today can inspire a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

Jacey Wesley is the communications director for the LSU AgCenter’s Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program. Tyne Bankester is the program manager for curriculum integration for the program and MarketMaker.

This article appears in the summer 2025 edition of Louisiana Agriculture.

The Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Baton Rouge teamed up with LSU AgCenter’s Seeds to Success: The Louisiana Farm to School Program to establish the Adventuresome Eating Club. The club is designed to make healthy eating fun by introducing children to local, seasonal fruits and vegetables in a way that sparks excitement and curiosity. Seeds to Success team members working at the event in early 2025 included, from left: Carl Motsenbocker, executive director of Seeds to Success; Isabella Frank, program manager for horticulture for the program; and Crystal Besse, program director for the program. Photo by Kyle Peveto

One of the goals of the Adventuresome Eating Club is to engage kids through hands-on activities, helping them to feel more comfortable and connected to what they are eating. Photo by Kyle Peveto

One of the goals of the Adventuresome Eating Club is to engage kids through hands-on activities, helping them to feel more comfortable and connected to what they are eating. Photo by Kyle Peveto