Recently, 449 students from Shelby Elementary School learned more about how their food is raised when they visited the Michigan Farm Bureau Food, Agriculture & Resources in Motion (FARM) Science Program.
Equipped with the latest teaching technologies and STEM-based lessons to increase agricultural awareness, the mobile classroom brought hands-on, field trip-type learning directly to Shelby Elementary School.
The FARM Science Program is facilitated by regional educators who’ve been trained on the current Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), who aim to expand participants’ horizons regarding science and agriculture.
Students learned more about careers in agriculture and science through experiential lessons, including Window Garden (K-2), Pioneering Sweetness (3rd), and Erosion (4th and 5th), helping them understand how agriculture impacts their daily lives so they grow into informed consumers.
“Agriculture affects all our lives every day, but many people don’t understand how healthy, nutritious food arrives on their tables; how fiber is produced to clothe them; or how agricultural products provide shelter,” said first grade teacher Kristen Bisard. “Michigan’s food and farm sector produces more than 300 commodities and generates more than $100 billion in economic activity annually. Not only is agriculture important to students personally, but it is also vital to our state and national economy.”
The FARM Science Program has visited more than 550 schools in Michigan since fall of 2017, impacting more than 79,000 students and 3,900 educators. The program is facilitated by regional educators who aim to expand the horizons of students regarding science and agriculture.
Stemming from an idea proposed by county Farm Bureau members, the FARM Science Lab was made possible by the Michigan Foundation for Agriculture. This FARM Science Lab was brought to life by the generous donations of our Farm Bureau members, 26 county Farm Bureaus, agricultural commodity organizations and other corporate sponsors.
Teachers or school districts can learn more about how to book a lesson by visiting miagclassroom.org.
