Feeding Kentucky: A STEM Adventure
Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom launches a new mobile school program aligned to Kentucky Academic Standards in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
Shepherdsville, KY – The Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom (KyAEC) has launched a new mobile elementary school program called Feeding Kentucky: A STEM Adventure. The program teaches students how Kentucky’s natural resources are used to produce, process, and transport our food supply through lessons in science, technology, engineering, math, practical living, and vocational studies.
“We have designed this school program to include more practical math and engineering activities along with our favorite life science, nutrition and consumerism concepts,” said Jennifer Elwell, KyAEC executive director. “Students will grind wheat into flour using different technologies, design a boat to transport crops, learn why pollinators are important, measure and chart apples, and explore human needs and wants among other lessons. We have found that students are so engaged in the activities it is difficult to get them to move to the next station.”
The day-long program includes a facilitator and 10 hands-on/critical thinking activity stations that are typically provided in the gymnasium. Ten to 15 volunteers are needed to assist with the stations, and those volunteers most often come via local FFA and farm organizations. Each 1-hour rotation can accommodate up to 60 students in grades 2 through 5. Kindergarten and first grade students participate in a half-hour assembly.
Feeding Kentucky: A STEM Adventure replaces KyAEC’s Agriculture Adventures program that operated from 2005 to 2016.
“While we had great success with our previous school program, we believe this approach will be more appealing for teachers and administrators since the activities vary for each grade level, and they more closely align with the Kentucky Academic Standards.”
KyAEC is booking a limited number of events through the end of the current school year and for 2018-2019. Teachers will be able to try out the program activities at the Kentucky Farm Bureau Regional Teacher Workshops scheduled throughout June.
To learn more, visit https://www.teachkyag.org/feeding-kentucky-stem.html.
Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to growing agriculture literacy across the Bluegrass. Its programs are supported by Kentucky’s agriculture community and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund.