*make sure to click "View entire message" to get access to the full newsletter!* |
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"Read ME Agriculture" 2022 |
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We will be choosing a new book for March 2023 and educators should look for more information in upcoming newsletters! |
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Read ME Week is March 21 - 25, 2022.
400+ Classrooms have registered for our 2022 program and registration is now closed!
Our friends at SNAP-Ed have provided us with a virtual cooking demo of Paati’s Tomato Sauce Recipe from the book! Check out the video demo by Samantha Grenier.
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Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program |
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Spring registration for the Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program just opened and we’re excited to invite you and your students to participate! Through this hands-on science lesson, students will learn about backyard ecology and plant life cycles by growing colossal cabbages and reaping hefty harvests. Students also vie for “Best in State” bragging rights — with a $1,000 scholarship awarded to one student in each participating state!
Bonnie Plants has designed the 3rd Grade Cabbage program with COVID-19 safety in mind. With the added stress of learning during the pandemic – getting outside to connect with gardening is more important than ever for the physical and mental well-being of students.
Participating in the 3rd Grade Cabbage Program is completely free! Simply click here to register your class or student. Your students' cabbages will be delivered by mail during your selected shipping window. After you’ve signed up, we’ll follow up with instructions just in time for planting, growing, and harvesting, and a ton of other useful resources to help students learn and succeed along the way. For more information, visit: bonniecabbageprogram.com
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UMaine Cooperative Extension’s Building Agricultural Literacy Through an Immersive Culinary Experience Grant Update
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Save the Dates!
April 28, 2022
High School CTE Culinary Arts Local Foods Competition at UMO
July 25 - July 28, 2022
Immersive Culinary Arts Summer Institute
A professional development opportunity specifically designed for Maine High School CTE Culinary Arts Instructors.
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Maine Nutrition Council Educational Event |
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Virtual Event!
Screening of the Documentary "Code Blue" with live virtual Q&A with Dr. Saray Stancic
Documentary Description: Code Blue follows a passionate physician, Dr. Saray Stancic, as she reflects upon her journey from a multiple sclerosis diagnosis to wellness through her own adoption of lifestyle medicine. Dr. Stancic introduces us to expert physicians and scientists who are paving the way to make meaningful and necessary change in our healthcare environment, and in turn, empowering audiences to stand up and reclaim control of their health.
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Sneak Peak a New Resource: Let's Visit a Farm! Al-Paca Bag! |
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Get a sneak peak of a brand new resource we'll be highlighting in our newsletter next month!
In this video, Erik Wade, MLTI Ambassador at Maine DOE, explains how your classroom can take a tour of a local alpaca farm. Next month we'll launch the link to the website and you'll get to explore the possibilities of virtual reality in your classroom!
Erik will be presenting the project at the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Saratoga this June.
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Harvest of the Month - March is Maine Protein! |
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Click here for the great Harvest of the Month (HOM) materials - posters, fact sheets, recipes, social media promo, and more!
All of our HOM Resource Pages can be found on our Teach ME site under "Teaching Units"
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You're invited! Maine school gardens are invited to join the Maine School Garden Network's Garden Directory, a listing by county that provides aspiring school gardeners with valuable information such as the type of school garden projects, funding sources, community connections & more. We're also encouraging school gardens with existing listings to review and update their post.
Won't you join us?!
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Back To School Gardens - Virtual Workshop Recordings |
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This winter Maine Agriculture in the Classroom held two virtual curriculum workshops in collaboration with the Back to School Gardens Program. In these workshops, participants learned about materials and lessons to connect school gardens to classroom curricula. Lessons were modeled and books and resources highlighted. The first workshop focused on elementary level resources, and the second focused more on secondary level resources.
Recordings of the virtual sessions are now available!
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More info on the Back to School Garden Program:
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Learning & Funding Opportunities! |
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Join the New Hampshire Farm to School and the NH School & Youth Garden networks, and other teachers, schools, and educators from across New England for a webinar series covering a variety of farm to school and school garden topics. Learn about Indigenous farm to school curriculum in New Hampshire, network around farm to early childhood education, find out more about establishing a school garden, and more! Register and find more information about each webinar topic here.
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Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant program provides a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible education garden at K-12. Schools or Non-profit organizations (501(c)(3) that serve children in the K-12 grade range eligible.
Application period:
February 14- March 11 , 2022
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Teacher Resources Section |
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From Sap to Syrup. Grades K-2. Students will recognize how geography and climate allow for the growth of maple trees and the process of making syrup. They will identify the characteristics of maple trees that produce the best sap for making maple syrup and name the steps in the process of creating syrup from sap.
Pancakes. Grades K-2. Grades 3-5. Students will describe the physical properties of materials and observe physical and chemical changes as they learn about the ingredients in pancakes and how maple syrup is harvested from trees.
Tapping into Maple Tradition. Lessons for Grades K-12. Tapping into Maple Tradition digs deeper into maple sugar production to uncover a wide variety of core academic concepts. Botany, chemistry, history, economics, math, nutrition, language arts and engineering are all key components. "Tapping Into Maple Tradition" enhances these educational areas with hands-on, STEM focused activities reinforcing the learning process.
Growing Aspirations - Sweet! Grades 9-12. This lesson’s focus is on large concepts such as Habits of Minds, Food Systems of Maine, and Agribusiness. The unit may include lessons on other aspects of the standard such as positive self- concept, and the personal interests and skills lessons.
Looking for more? Explore the Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix HERE
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Check out some of these great books about Maple!
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Maine maple producers walk us through the sap harvest season, explain the nuances of sugaring, and how to enjoy maple products year-round. Real Maine's interview series shares your questions about agriculture with farmers, growers and producers dedicated to quality farm products.
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Maple Syrup Ag Mag. From New Hampshire Ag in the Classroom. Check out this online reader with a bunch of great info on Maple Syrup!
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ReTreeUS plants orchards in schools and provides educational programs that empower people to be healthy environmental stewards.
Fuel Up to Play 60 offers educators a wide array of resources they can use to help students make sustainable changes in their school environment.
Agroworld is an agricultural science e-zine developed for the secondary educator.
KidsGardening has ideas about plants and gardens, teacher resources, and grant opportunities.
The Chop Chop magazine and website has easy and healthy recipes.
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This document is a compilation of agriculture related resources to be used in virtual and remote learning.
Pictures, videos, and words are hyperlinked throughout the document.
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Funding from this plate has impacted up to 200,000 students annually with lessons, materials, volunteers and teacher training. Annually up to $60K is distributed in grants to schools, FFA, 4-H and other Non-profit programs for Ag education initiatives by the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Council.
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Donate today to The Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Association
The Non-profit, completely volunteer, portion of MAITC. These funds are used directly to support teacher scholarships and recognition, and support volunteer participation for Ag education programs. Your donation is completely tax deductible and you can make a one-time donation or a recurring monthly donation which will support the mission, "to promote the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public." If you have any other questions or would like to join this group please contact the chairman, Maryjane Stafford. Donate Here.
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Our Mission Statement
"To promote the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public"
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28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207)287-5522
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