Third Graders Explore Food Scarcity through Hands-On Learning
November 7, 2025
The third graders took their classroom learning on the road with a visit to Tom Thumb, where they put their studies on food scarcity and economics into action. Armed with a $14 budget, students were challenged to shop for three nutritious, nonperishable meals and a snack to feed a family of four, all while staying within their spending limit.
As they navigated the aisles, students compared prices, debated needs versus wants, and discussed how to make the most of every dollar. The experience blended lessons from math, language arts, and social studies, giving students the chance to apply rounding, estimation, and reading comprehension skills to real-world decision-making.
The field trip served as the foundation for their broader Innovation and Exploration Project: Dallas Past, Present, and Future. This unit focuses on community needs and charitable giving, helping students connect classroom concepts like budgeting, saving, and food security to local impact. Leading up to the trip, students researched prices online and prepared shopping lists based on nutritional value and cost efficiency.
The learning didn’t stop at the checkout line. Over the following days, students collected hundreds of donations from canned goods to paper towels for their annual food drive benefiting Now Forward (formerly North Dallas Shared Ministries). They wrapped up the week by filling a charter bus with their contributions and delivering them, in person, learning about how Now Forward supports the Dallas community through food, clothing, school supplies, and medical and dental care.
The project will conclude with students writing personal narratives about their favorite part of the experience, reflecting on how economics and empathy come together to make a difference.
Here are some other upcoming community drives happening between now and the end of the year:
- Upper School PRISM Health Thanksgiving Dinner Project: November 18–22
- Upper School St. Philip’s Community Center Angel Tree: December 2–13
