It's August so that means one thing, the Minnesota State Fair is fast approaching! Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom (MAITC) will be leading hands on activities from 1:30-3:30 p.m. every day of the Minnesota State Fair (Aug. 26 - Sept. 6)! You can find us in the North Wing of the Ag/Horticulture Building in the Minnesota Department of Agriculture exhibit space. See you at the Fair!
It is now easier than ever to sign-up for our AgMag series!
Visit the AgMag website to sign up for the FREE AgMag series that features two grade-specific issues in print and online for each K-6 grade level. Colorful images, interactive activities, and engaging non-fiction stories highlight the Minnesotans who provide our food, fuel, fiber, forest products and flowers! The AgMag content and free accompanying lesson plans follow Minnesota academic standards, allowing for seamless integration into your curriculum.
Journey 2050 takes students in grades 7-12 grade on a virtual farm simulation that explores world food sustainability. Using an inquiry-based approach the program encourages students to make decisions and adjust them as they see their impact on society, the environment and the economy at a local and global scale.
Interested in learning more? Join us for a free workshop August 11, 2021, 11:00 a.m. - noon to learn how to use the simulations, lessons and related resources with your students.
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Regional Curriculum Specialist - The MAITC Foundation is accepting applications for a Metro Area Regional Curriculum Specialist. The application review process will begin on September 1, 2021.
MAITC Student Worker - College students with an interest in digital communications are encouraged to apply by August 19, 2021. This position is available through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture: MAITC Student Worker Para Professional - Job ID 47807
The CHS Foundation provides $500 grants each year to pre-kindergarten-12th grade teachers who have classroom projects that use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and more. Eligible projects include classroom and schoolyard gardens, embryology projects, aquaculture projects, and agricultural literacy reading programs to name a few. Only state-certified classroom teachers employed by a school district or private school teachers are eligible to apply.
Did you know MAITC's newest program, Farm Camp Minnesota, connects classrooms to on-site farm tours and career lessons? Farm Camp pilot programs were a huge hit with educators last year. From cattle to goats, and maple syrup to cheese, Farm Camps heighten students' knowledge of agriculture in Minnesota. Learn more about Farm Camp Minnesota: our mission, who we work with, and how you can get involved, at our new website: farmcampminnesota.org
Check out this joyful rhyming story about a girl and her mother and the machines they use on their family farm to make hay. The girl tells the tale of making hay as her Mom uses a mower for mowing grass, then a tedder for aerating the grass, and eventually a baler. Illustrated with fabulous art, each part of the process is a celebration of summer, farming, and the mother-daughter relationship.
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Middle school and high school students will meet an interesting cast of characters in Seedfolks: a Vietnamese girl who plants six lima beans in a Cleveland vacant lot. Looking down on the immigrant-filled neighborhood, a Romanian woman watches suspiciously. A school janitor gets involved, then a Guatemalan family. Then muscle-bound Curtis, trying to win back Lateesha. Pregnant Maricela. Amir from India. A sense of community sprouts and spreads.
Newbery-winning author Paul Fleischman uses thirteen speakers to bring to life a community garden's founding and first year. The book's short length, diverse cast, and suitability for adults as well as children have led it to be used in countless one-book reads in schools and in cities across the country. (From Goodreads)
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Celebrate Farm to School! Share your story. Thank those who make farm to school possible.
October is National Farm to School Month, a time to crunch into locally grown food and celebrate all the people who make Farm to School possible including educators, farmers and nutritional professionals.
Farm to school celebrations will look different for each school and community but suggested activities could include:
Celebrate!
- Crunching into locally grown apples with the Great Lakes Great Apple Crunch at noon on Thursday, October 14, 2021. If you can’t join on the 14th, register and Crunch any day and time in October that works for you.
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Add a local item to a meal or snack
- Serving an all local meal (e.g. Minnesota Thursdays)
- Joining a virtual farm tour hosted by Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom
- Submitting a proclamation to your city or county government celebrating farm to school heroes in your community
- Cooking a meal with a local item at home with family
- Hosting an in-person or virtual garden harvest party or other activity in the school garden
- Using class time for a Farm to School activity
- Taking a photo or video of your celebration and posting it to social media using #MNfarmtoschool
Share.
Let everyone know you are celebrating by using the hashtag #MNfarmtoschool and #F2SMonth on your favorite social media outlets.
Thank.
Whether you are a food service professional, a farmer, a student, a teacher or a family, there are plenty of ways to celebrate and show your gratitude.
To learn more, go to Minnesota’s Farm to School Month website.
August Trivia Question:
Who are the official mascots of the Minnesota State Fair?
The first two people to respond to sue.knott@state.mn.us with the correct answer will receive a reusable MAITC bag.
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