Galen Kusic
Staff Writer
The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) is revolutionizing the way kids learn about plants, how they grow and their essential part in the earth’s ecosystem that allows us all to breathe clean, oxygen-filled air.
 |
Photo By Galen Kusic
Fifth grade students learn about seeds and what it takes for a plant to grow on Friday. CFAITC is devoted to providing agricultural education. |
The Agrium’s Seed Survivor Mobile Display visited D.H. White Elementary on Friday, and is a truck and trailer unit that embodies a plant nutrient classroom on wheels. The Seed Survivor trailer is curriculum based with interactive learning experiences that teach elementary students about growing healthy plants and where their food comes from.
“It is important for students to have an appreciation and understanding for plants and how they grow,” said California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom Executive Director Judy Culbertson. “This knowledge will ultimately help connect students to where their food and fiber comes from.”
CFAITC has partnered with Crop Production Services to make the Seed Survivor Mobile Trailer Unit available to elementary schools throughout California. Students gain an understanding that plants need water, light, healthy soil and nutrients to survive.
After students learned about the elements plants need to grow, students planted a sunflower seed to take home and grow. The hands-on learning techniques used by CFAITC to teach students was very effective in keeping students engaged in the program material.
“The most rewarding thing about this program is kids get to see where their food comes from,” said Curriculum Coordinator Jenna, a high school agriculture teacher.
Students spent the first half of the presentation on a guided plant nutrient lesson and then the other half inside the Seed Survivor Trailer playing multimedia and virtual reality video games. The interactive stations encourage elementary-aged students to master the elements that plants need to grow.
In 2010 alone, more than 79,000 children planted seeds at Seed Survivor.
“We want children to grow up to be healthy eaters, to be interested in agriculture and to understand where their food comes from,” said Agrium Program Coordinator Lindsey Metheral.
Based out of Sacramento, CFAITC began the tour of elementary schools in the Bay Area earlier this month and is currently visiting schools throughout the Delta region.
A part of the curriculum included is teaching kids about what soil plants can grow in. The combination of clay, silt and salt makes up loam, which in turn has all of the required elements to stimulate a healthy plant’s growth.
“I learned that plants suck up air, water and nutrients,” said fifth grade student Makenzie Vassar.
An interesting fact that was presented to the students included an average sized tree can produce enough oxygen to keep two to four people alive. FFA and Ag students from Rio Vista High School were also there helping volunteer in the Seed Survivor Trailer.
“You can’t plant plants in sand or clay,” said fifth grade student Glenn Ritter. “It won’t grow- it’s like hidden cement.”
As the program continued, different classes rotated through the station, getting a detailed understanding of what plants need to thrive. Photosynthesis was a main station inside the Seed Survivor trailer, and the virtual games were fun and challenging- even for an adult.
“Plants mix four things together to make stronger roots,” said fifth grade student Paola Torres. “They need sunlight and water so they can grow.”
An Agronomist is an individual that takes care of the health of soils and plants. Agronomy itself is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, feed, fiber and reclamation. Agronomy deals in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology and soil science.
“We are excited to educate elementary-aged students about plants, what they need to grow, and how they contribute to a nutritious lifestyle,” said Culbertson. “This experience will help connect students to their food source and is as important as anything else they are learning in the classroom.”
For more information about The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, including classroom materials and opportunities to participate in agriculture education, visit www.LearnAboutAg.org.
To see videos, games and free teacher resources offered in Seed Survivor, visit http://www.GrowingTheNextGeneration.com.
“Agriculture is a vital industry in California,” said Culbertson. “This experience will allow students to learn and appreciate this important industry that is crucial to maintaining a safe, healthy and nutritious food supply.” |
