Spring is here and First lady Michelle Obama started enacting her health and fitness policies on Friday – with shovels, rakes and pitch forks in hand.

She and 26 fifth graders took to the White House lawn to start working on the organic veggie garden which will grow year-round produce for the White House and Miriam’s Kitchen, a DC-based soup kitchen. Mrs. Obama has talked about healthy eating habits, like loading up on veggies and fruits throughout the campaign and in the early months of her husband’s presidency.

This is the first vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden during World War II and it will take about around 1,1000 square feet of lawn space.

This green-thumbed first lady asked the kids, who will be involved in planting crops, and tending and harvesting the garden, if they were “ready to roll,” and added “This is a big day. We’ve been talking about this since the day we’ve moved in.”

When the students from DC’s Bancroft Elementary School had put in some good work, they were treated to a fitting healthy snack – apples, apple cider and shovel-shaped sugar cookies (with organic flour!). After all, if you eat healthy and get good exercise, like gardening, a cookie every once in a while won’t hurt!

Ready to start your own health kick? Check out our organic living tips.

And to be like your first lady, find out how to plant your own organic garden