Did you know that you can’t have an “ag-less” day?
Most people are several generations removed from direct contact with agriculture food & fiber products which help define our nation’s general welfare and standard of living. Most elementary school students have little awareness of how milk is changed to ice cream or the non-food uses for soybeans, corn and livestock. In fact, most are unaware of the origin of agricultural-based ingredients in pizza!
The Summit County Farm Bureau Mobile Learning Laboratory is a mobile classroom sponsored by the county farm bureau. It visits Summit and neighboring county elementary schools, introducing students to agriculture and demonstrating the importance of agricultural products in our daily lives.
The mobile classroom is a 32’ trailer with 10 learning stations for hands-on student investigations about agriculture food and fiber products and processes. A professional educator coordinates grade-level appropriate activities with schools and comes with the lab to guide students through the investigations.
The lab’s curriculum correlates with state academic standards for mathematics, science, language arts, social studies and economics. Spoken words come alive when educators use the “hear it, see it, do it” teaching method as students participate in hands-on activities.
Among the many investigations are using milk to make ice cream, butter or glue; turning corn into plastic and learning about economics while doing product marketing. Many schools have told us that it is like bringing a fun and educational field trip to the school.
If you are interested in learning more about the “ag-lab,” click here to visit our web site.