The Del Ray Power of Produce (PoP) Kids’ Club ran for six weeks at the Del Ray Farmers’ Market in 2022, offering a fun and interactive program where children can learn about nutrition, food, farming, and community. Each week from April 23 to May 28, children stopped by the PoP Kids’ Club Table between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. to participate in an enrichment activity. Once they completed their challenge, they received a $5 voucher to redeem for fresh fruits and vegetables!
Note: The PoP Club is free and open to all children ages 4-12; coloring pages will be provided for younger siblings. This is not a drop-off event; parents/guardians must accompany children. Each activity should take approx. 10-15 minutes. If you have any questions, please contact delraypopclub@gmail.com.
This are the activities that ran each week.
APRIL week 1: SCAVENGER HUNT! PoP Club Members will participate in a market scavenger hunt — they will be given a list of things they need to find at the market, and they will then apply dot stickers on their sheet when they find it.
Community partner: Alexandria Country Day School
APRIL week 2: VEGETABLE ART & COMPOSTING: PoP Club Members will use toothpicks to assemble pre-cut pieces into vegetable art; they can then either take their vegetable art home or compost it at the market. Community partner: Del Ray Citizens’ Association
MAY week 1: POLLINATORS! PoP Club Members will learn about the unique and important contributions that bees provide.
Community partner: Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture
MAY week 2: AT-HOME GARDENING: PoP Club Members choose seeds, then plants them in a biodegradable container that they can take home and place in pot/garden.
Community partner: Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners
MAY week 3: GIVING BACK: PoP Club Members will meet the founder of Breadcoin, Scott Borger. Breadcoin provides tokens to those with hunger challenges that they redeem for meals at restaurants and online retailers.
Community partner: Breadcoin
MAY week 4: THANK YOU TO OUR FARMERS! PoP Club Members will make thank you cards and give them to their favorite vendors.
Community partner: FRESHFARM
Del Ray Farmers Market 