2007/08 School Year
2007 Summer Ag
Institute
2007 Ag Education Float
2007 Lion’s Club Dinner
2007 Classroom Adoptions
2007 New Magic Kits
We are starting a new school year and this is when ag education kicks in to full gear again. My goal is to provide all the teachers with new resources and materials they can use in their classrooms. The first couple of weeks consists of delivering packets to the teachers as a reminder of what the ag education program can provide to them. This is also an excellent time to catch teachers and administrators students while they’re preparing their rooms and before the students arrive. My objective is to interest them in new ideas, resources, activities, etc. and to encourage them to integrate ag projects into the curriculum. This year we have several new kits and new fall projects to offer them. Students need to learn about agriculture at an early age and be informed as to where their food and fiber comes from. We live in an agricultural community and agriculture is the basis of our economy. Agriculture is the largest industry in the world and employs more people than any other industry. One out of five students will work in jobs related to agriculture.
The Ag Ed Program is available to students desiring to learn about the science, business, and technology of plant and animal production or the environmental and natural resources. Agricultural Education prepares students for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choices. And in addition provides opportunities for developing leadership skills, moral values, and good citizenship.
Teachers Participating in Soil Texture Activity
The Warren-Henderson Farm Bureau, Knox County Farm Bureau, Mercer County Farm Bureau, Henry County Farm Bureau, and Stark County Farm Bureau in connection with the Western Illinois University hosted the 2007 Summer Ag Institute. This is a five day course open to teachers ranging from Pre-School through High School. Teachers may earn college credit for the course as well. The purpose of the course is to teach the importance of agriculture and how to incorporate agriculture into their classrooms.
On Friday, Warren County Day, teachers were given a tour of Monsanto to learn about crops and pesticides. After the tour the county coordinators provided information about the resources available to them in the various counties. In addition demonstrations from the new Magic kits were provided by the coordinators as well. Following the coordinators program presentations were given by the commodities. This included the Corn Growers, Dairy Association, Soybean Association, and Beef Association.
2007 was the first year that the weather put a damper on the Fall Festival Parade in Monmouth. Rain was not in the forecast until after midnight so we thought we were safe. While waiting in line for the parade to start the rain came down and by the time we got to the judges stand the float was pretty well destroyed. The signs came down, the combine fell and you couldn’t even see the theme. The theme this year was Sprouting success through Ad Education. Everyone was completely drenched along with Captain Cornelius down to his underwear and socks. Our cotton rain drops were gone, the streamers decorating the sides were unrecognizable and our corn people on the back side lost their fuzzy hair. Oh, well! There will be next year and I’ll contact the 2008 weather man for a sunny outcome.
Pictured below is the remains of our 2007 float:
On September the 27th I was invited to speak to the local Lion’s Club about agriculture. Warren County is an agricultural community so members were not exposed to the topic for the first time. What they didn’t know was that they would be busy making farm hats and decorating piggy cakes for desert.
First the farmers were reminded about the importance of agriculture and how it impacts our everyday lives. It’s not just farmers that our affected by agriculture but a 100 percent of the population. From the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the homes we live in, the technology we use, and the fuel in our vehicles play a major role.
Next the group willingly participated in “The many Hats of a Farmer” exercise in which they brainstormed all the jobs of a farmer and wrote them on their hats they made. And last the group joined in to decorate cup cakes with marshmallows and chocolate chips to create pig faces. A fun time was enjoyed by all and the program ended with a drawing for door prizes.
Warren County Sheriff Martin Edwards show off his farm hat
2007 Classroom Adoptions:
Baby Miniature Horse up for Adoption
Every year I plan to add new projects as well as new resources. This fall I started a new classroom adoption project which students can adopt a miniature horse. Some of the teachers requested information about horses because they include them in their farm unit.
We now have a horse ag mag and a horse kit available for check out. Currently I have three third grade classes already signed up for the program. I plan to get it underway in a few weeks. The alpaca adoption program is already in place and there are four classes adopting baby alpacas. This program is in the fall because alpaca babies take twelve months and locally most are born in August and September. Carlos pictured below has to be bottled fed because the mom refused to have anything to do with him. This is really rare for alpacas and especially this mom who has had other babies.
In the spring we offer classroom adoption programs including pigs, calves, and lambs. The lamb project will be new for spring of 2008. I had several requests for lambs and sheep and already have a fiber kit with lots of information about sheep. Also we have an ag mag for sheep and books and videos available.
These new kits are great because they are multidisciplinary and designed to teach students about agriculture through active discovery. Kits include lesson plans and supplies for activities and exercises. They are developed to meet learning standards in English, math, science, and social studies for grades 4 through 8. Lessons in the kits include exercises in reading, writing math logic, research, critical thinking, experimentation, sequencing, graphing, and mapping. Currently we have nine of these kits and will soon be getting more to add to our available resources.
Below is a listing of the kits available:
Insect Magic
Soil Magic
Dairy Magic
Machine Magic
Poultry Magic
Plant Magic
Horticulture Careers
Horticulture Science
Illinois Magic
PUMPKIN
- Discover the
wonders of pumpkins and watch tiny seeds grow into several varieties of pumpkins
in a time-lapse video. The kit also contains posters, books, recipes, and
hands-on Activities. (Including pumpkin pie in a bag)
SOYBEANS - Students will
learn why soybeans are called the "miracle crop". Soy is used not only
in foods, but is found in a variety of products. Included are materials to make
crayons from soybean oil etc.
EGGS - Crack the mystery
of eggs and see a miracle in 21 days. The kit is filled with books, videos,
poultry facts, games, and other activities.
CORN - Learn the history of
corn or make cornhusk dolls. It contains a video, easy lesson-plans, and
instructions for hands-on activities.
PIZZA - Learn how the
ingredients on your pizza begin on farms. Explore Planet Pizza on video and
visit a "pizza farm". Take part in a slice of the action through the
pizza party game.
APPLE - Take an inside look
at apples and their history. Getting to the “core” involves a lot of
hands-on activities and games. (Johnny Appleseed)
DAIRY - This kit provides
hands-on-experiences for students as they become involved in demonstrating the
process of using milk, enzymes, bacteria and heat to make glue, cottage cheese
and ice cream.
GENETICS - Colored paper
clips are used to illustrate genes and chromosome chains as students learn how
traits are inherited by offspring from parents. A germination study of seeds
which produce albino or normal green corn plants helps students understand
genotypes and phenotypes.
FIBERS - Unravel the
mysteries of the fibers that make up our clothing. It involves hands-on
activities, books, and fiber samples. You can try your hand at spinning and
weaving and learn how fibers are woven into our daily lives. Use the magnifying
lens to take a closer look at textiles.
FARM ANIMALS - Students compare food products, checking for protein, sugar, starch, and fats. They dissect a chicken wing, comparing it with the functions of the human arm. Animal models are used to help learn about livestock weight estimates and weight gain.
OTHER KITS AVAILABLE
| Dr. Seuss (new) | Candy | Energy | Cattle |
| Soil Erosion | Weather | Plants/Gardening | Pigs |
| Water Cycle | Trees/Forest | Insects | Horses |
| Ecology/Earth Day | Birds/Fish | Recycling | Sheep |
| Biotechnology Kits | Poultry | Farm machinery | Egg |
| Magic Kits |