 2016 Teacher Tour
June 30th: Last Chance to Register for Summer Teacher Tours
TODAY is the last day to register for the Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) Summer Teacher Tours. There are two Summer Teacher Tours
that allow K-12 teachers to gain first-hand experience with agriculture. We will tour a variety of ag-focused sites, and offer resources and hands-on
examples that support teachers in integrating agriculture into their science,
social studies, math, language arts, and/or health curriculum. (Registration for the Northern MN tour on July 7th has closed.) Here are
the tour dates and details:
 July 17-18 – Specialty Crop Tour: $25
We will be visiting Untiedt Vegetable Farm near Montrose, Len Bush Roses near Plymouth, Big River Farms (which works with immigrant and beginning farmers), Minneapolis Public Schools Nutrition Center, and several other sites.
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 July 24-25 – Many Faces of Agriculture Tour: $75
This overnight tour will travel to New Sweden Dairy Farm, Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota, U of M Southern Outreach Center (to see their pig and cattle facilities), Chankaska Creek Vineyard and Winery, and Farmamerica. Arnold’s Implement will be providing tractors and other implements for tour participants to drive at Farmamerica! This is an overnight tour with a hotel stay in Mankato.
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CEUs will be given to all participants. Graduate credits are available through Hamline University at a cost of $358.
For additional details and to register visit http://minnesota.agclassroom.org/programs/tour.cfm.
More than 450 educators from
around the country learned how to use agricultural concepts to teach reading,
writing, math, science, social studies, and more at the National Agriculture in
the Classroom Organization’s (NAITCO) National Conference June 20-23 in Kansas City, MO.
Conference participants went on
traveling workshops of nearby agribusinesses and research facilities to learn
about corn byproducts, grain production and the beef industry, and other topics. The conference keynote speakers included agriculture broadcaster Tyne
Morgan, USDA/NIFA Director Dr. Sonny Ramaswamy, and Greg Peterson of the
Peterson Farm Brothers who rose to fame by posting music videos about farming
using social media.
MAITC's Outstanding
Teacher Award winner, McKenzie Gregory, a 5th/6th writing teacher at Rockford Middle School, was recognized on Thursday for her
outstanding creative efforts in teaching students about agriculture. Kathy
Guse, Farm Camp Director, was also recognized as a White-Reinhardt Scholarship
winner. Kathy was selected to receive a scholarship to attend the conference
based on her dedication to ag literacy. Among the many workshops offered, MAITC
Education Specialists Sue Knott and Keri Sidle led workshops about specialty crops
and agriculture on the sports field.
Next year's National Agriculture in the
Classroom Conference will be held in Portland, ME June 26-29.
Teachers who would like to attend but need assistance with the cost can apply for the competitive Farm Bureau
White-Reinhardt scholarship in October.
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 We have exciting news – MAITC will be at the Minnesota State Fair August 24 through September 4! The Minnesota Department
of Agriculture (MDA) has decided to dedicate a portion of their wing in the
Ag/Hort Building to MAITC for the length of the 2017 State Fair. Come by and check out our exhibit. MAITC will have activities for kids on the following days:
- Thurs Aug 24, 1-3pm Livestock Animal Ear Tag
- Sat Aug 26, 1-3pm Living Necklace
- Mon Aug 28, 1-3pm Pollinator Feeder
- Thurs Aug 31, 1-3pm Livestock Animal Ear Tag
- Sat Sept 2, 1-3pm Living Necklace
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You are invited to the 2017 MAITC Foundation Annual Meeting. This casual event will provide an opportunity to highlight MAITC’s
accomplishments over the past year and thank our supporters for their
contributions in making these efforts possible. Approximately thirty kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers will be
attending this annual meeting as part of MAITC’s Summer Teacher Tour. MAITC Foundation’s 2017 Outstanding Teacher Award winner,
McKenzie Gregory, will also be recognized.
Please join us on the evening of Monday, July 24, 2017 at Farmamerica from 5:30-8pm for a dinner celebrating MAITC and teachers. RSVPs are requested by Monday July 10th.
 Curriculm Matrix Binder
A great tool to use in planning and utilizing the Curriculum Matrix lessons is the MyBinder tool. MyBinder allows you to store lessons in a personal virtual binder and makes it easy to find the lessons again later. We would love to know how Minnesota teachers are using the MyBinder feature, so please send us an email sharing how you use this helpful tool.
MyBinder YouTube Tutorial
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Last month's trivia question was, "How many cows are milked daily at Meadow Star Dairy?" The answer was 8500 cows.
Ready for this month's trivia question? Here it is!
What year was the first Minnesota State Fair held?
Please email Keri Sidle with your answer to win an MAITC reusable shopping bag.
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