Edible Schoolyard NYC teaches kids to garden and cook

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Students at Lucero Elementary School in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx are not whistling while they work. They're singing as they learn. They are part of a program called Edible Schoolyard NYC, where school yards are literally growing ingredients for their classes.

The signs in one classroom aren't just about teaching healthy consumption, but also to respect others and be grateful. Even a little geography gets sprinkled in.

Do you remember when you first got introduced to pesto? These 5th graders now know what it is and even how to make it. And most of them liked it. Just as important -- those who didn't like it at least tried it first.

This program was in only two schools when it started years ago. Now six schools and 3,000 students are involved. It is not just about education. It is also about the students' future and their health. Some of the schools are in districts where the obesity rate is as high as 60 percent. While in other districts in the city are in the single digits.

Workshops are even offered to the students' parents, so even the grownups are taking a lesson home with them.

Showing while a tree may grow in Brooklyn, Edible Schoolyard NYC is planting the seeds of good habits and a healthier life for this young generation.