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Local Foods Procurement Training
Kennebec Valley Community College - Harold Alfond Campus
Hinckley, ME
1pm - 4pm
October 3, 2019
Teacher of the Year Application Deadline
October 4, 2019
Maine Farm to School Conference
Kennebec Valley Community College - Harold Alfond Campus
Hinckley, ME
October 4, 2019
Let's Go! School Symposiums
Orono, ME -
October 17th
Portland, ME - October 18th
MSGN Resource Rally
October 19, 2019
MAITC Annual Meeting
Maine State Grange
State Street, Augusta, ME
October 23, 2019
Maine Nutrition Council Educational Event
"Life Stages: Oral Health and Nutrition"
University of Maine at Augusta - Bangor Campus
3pm - 5pm
October 30, 2019
Maine Agricultural Trades Show
January 14 - 16, 2020
Augusta Civic Center
Read ME Agriculture
March 2020
Maine Nutrition Council Annual Conference
"Nutrition From the Sea"
April 8, 2020
Atlantic Oceanside Hotel & Event Center
Bar Harbor, ME
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Teach ME about Food & Farms
*Contact us to plan a workshop date for your school for Spring 2020
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Special Programs
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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- agricultural science e-zine developed for the secondary educator.
Kids Gardening has ideas about plants and gardens, teacher resources, and grant opportunities.
The Chop Chop magazine and website has easy and healthy recipes.
Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Ag Mags are 4-page, colorful agricultural magazines for kids.
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| Agriculture License Plate |
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Funding from this plate has impacted over 200,000 students in 2017 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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| Contact Us |
28 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
207-287-5522
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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.
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October Newsletter
#97
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2019
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APPLY or NOMINATE TODAY!
Deadline this Friday!
Each year, MAITC recognizes an outstanding Maine elementary or secondary school teacher who uses agricultural education materials and/or activities in the classroom to teach core subjects.
Next year's winner will receive a trip to Salt Lake City, UT!
Know a great teacher who's incorporating ag into their classroom?
Nominate them to be our 2020 Teacher of the Year!
Teachers can be nominated or submit an application themselves.
Please submit the application to MAITC by 5:00 on October 4, 2019, by email or mail to: MAITC, 28 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333
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There are still a few days left to register for these two great events!
FREE Local Foods Procurement Training on October 3rd and the Maine Farm to School Conference on October 4th. Both happening at the Kennebec Valley Community College Harold Alfond Campus in Hinckley, ME. Learn more and register
here.
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MAITC Annual Meeting
The Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Annual Meeting will be held Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at the Maine State Grange in Augusta.
Come celebrate our successful ag education program in 2019 and hear the announcement of our 2020 Teacher of the Year!
Annual meeting and dinner
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
5:30 Meet & Greet, 6:30 Dinner
Maine State Grange
146 State Street
Augusta, Maine
RSVP by October 16th to Willie (207)287-5522.
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Grant Opportunities!!
White Reinhardt Grants -
The White-Reinhardt Mini-Grant Program funds projects that will increase agricultural literacy. County and state Farm Bureaus may apply for
$1,000 grants
for education programs for grades K-12 in order to initiate new ag literacy programs or expand existing programs.
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Read ME Agriculture 2020
In March 2020, Read ME Agriculture will debut the newest book in the series,
Plant Something for ME.
The
Plant Something for ME
book is the sixth book in the Agriculture for ME book series. Students will learn about plants and why they are so important. A focus on careers involving plants in our state will increase students' awareness of opportunities available. In the wrap-up students are encouraged to plant something themselves. Funding is pending for classroom planting kits to accompany the books during the 2020 Read ME Agriculture program. Classrooms should sign-up early if they are interested in the kit because supply may be limited. Sign ups will be available on our website soon!
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Maine Harvest of the Month Program - Sign the Pledge!
Sign the pledge for the Maine Harvest of the Month (HOM) program for SY2020. HOM helps to promote the use of local Maine products in schools by offering free marketing materials and resources for food service. If you'd like to receive the promoti
onal materials in time for the beginning of the school year, please make
sure to sign the pledge ASAP. If you have any questions, email Program Manager Jenn So or visit
the
HOM
HERE
!
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Harvest of the Month
October is Maine Apples Month!
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Fall 2019 Purple Plow Challenge
 Agriculture consumes large amounts of energy in the production of our food. In this challenge, students will learn about energy and they will design, build and share a solution that diversifies energy consumption.
Click here
for more information about the challenge and how you can sign up! Entries must be submitted by November 22nd!
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MNC Ed Event October 30th
3-5pm
University of Maine at Augusta - Bangor Campus
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Lessons:
October is Maine Apples Month!
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A is for Apples
. Grades K-2. Students will use the five senses to investigate apples, identify and model the parts of an apple, make applesauce, and learn how apples are grown.
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Freshest Fruits
. Grades K-2. Students will learn about where fruits grow and their nutritional value by completing an activity to observe the size, shape, texture, and seeds of various fruits.
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Apples
. Grades 2-5.
Students will be able to explain the history of apples growing in the United States and locate orchards on a Maine map. They will increase their awareness of the environment and nutrition by writing a public service announcement for elementary students about the health benefits of apples. Students also will participate in math strategies and composting activities involving apples.
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An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
. Grades 3-5. Students will explore organic and conventional farming practices by analyzing multimedia texts to investigate the differences between conventionally and organically grown apples.
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Apple Science: Comparing Apples and Onions
. Grades 3-5. Students will explore heredity concepts by comparing observable traits of apples and onions, collecting data on the traits of different apple varieties, and learning about apple production. Additional activities include hands-on methods for testing apple ripeness.
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Where Does it Come From?
Grades 3-5. Students will explore the connection between geography, climate, and the type of agriculture in an area by reading background information and census data about the agricultural commodities beef, potatoes, apples, wheat, corn, and milk.
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Apple Genetics: A Tasty Phenomena
. Grades 6-8. Using the context of apples, students will apply their knowledge of heredity and genetics to explain how new varieties are developed and propagated to meet the demand for a tasty, uniform, consistent product.
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FoodMASTER Middle: Fruits
. Grades 6-8. Students will learn the concept of enzymatic browning and methods for decreasing enzymatic oxidation by observing three types of fruit. Students will also understand the relationship between oxidation and antioxidants and the role fruits play in health and nutrition.
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Apples and the Science of Selection
. Grades 9-12. Students will distinguish between natural and artificial selection and use a student-centered learning activity to see how science has used both asexual and sexual plant reproduction methods to first create different varieties of apples; and then to produce the final product commercially.
Books:
Applesauce Day
Agriculture for ME
What's in the Garden?
An Apple Tree Through the Year
Apples for Everyone
Bring Me Some Apples and I'll Make You a Pie
First Apple
How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Johnny Appleseed
The Apple Orchard Riddle
The Apple Pie Tree
Up, Up, Up! It's Apple-Picking Time
Where Does Food Come From?
 
Read our
Agriculture for ME book online
here
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Videos:
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| APPLE | How Does it Grow? |
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| Growing Maine - Treworgy Family Orchards |
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| Wacky Apple Educational Video - How do Apples Grow? |
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Farm Pop Ups
: Students use this template to create a pop-up game to reinforce agricultural concepts concerning various plants and animals. Templates are available for apples, cows, dairy, pigs, sheep, and turkeys. Teachers can use the blank template to create their own pop-ups to reinforce concepts and understanding for any area of study.
- Taste Testing - Choose different varieties of apples and have students sample and compare. Find the favorites and graph the results.
- Brainstorm as a class different apple products, types of apples, what apples make you think of. Use these words to create apple poetry, or a class book with apple facts.
- Apple Math Activities - fractions, symmetry, estimating, graphing, circumference!
- Recipes - Make applesauce as a class or another favorite apple recipe. You can also take this time to talk about apple nutrition!
- Visit to a farm, orchard, or garden - show students pictures, tools, produce, canned goods, etc. from a real farm or garden, maybe your own!
- Identify parts of an apple - Cut apples in half and have students examine the inside of the fruit. They can then create their own apple models.
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