October 2023 | Issue #145 | |
*make sure to click "View entire message" to get access to the full newsletter!* | | |
|
Our Annual Meeting will be held Thursday, October 26th at 5:30pm at the Maine State Grange in Augusta. RSVP to maitc@maine.gov
Meet some of our 2023 grantees, enjoy a delicious grange dinner, and hear the announcement of our 2024 Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year!
| | | |
October is National Farm to School Month! | | |
|
Join thousands of schools, early care and education sites, farms, communities and organizations across the country as we celebrate food education, school gardens and lunch trays filled with healthy, local ingredients.
Learn about ways to get involved here. Check out some of the great Farm to School Month resources like fact sheets, posters, stickers, coloring pages and more!
| |
| | |
|
Maine Environmental Education Association - Mini-Grants for Outdoor Learning Program
Who can apply?
Maine Public (Pre-K-12) teachers and schools.
What types of projects can be funded?
Funding can be used for any type of project that advances outdoor learning in your classroom or school in the 2023-24 school year. Ideas: Outdoor recreation equipment, Snow and rain weather gear, Outdoor classroom solutions, Adaptive gear, Gardening and greenhouse supplies, Professional development, Curriculum, Science exploration, Field trips, Art outdoors, Community partnerships.
Learn more and apply here.
Deadline: October 13th!
| | |
|
Whole Kids Foundation and The Bee Cause Project - Bee Grants
Who can apply? K-12 Schools or Non-Profit Organizations that serve any grades K-12 in the U.S./Canada
These grant programs allow for schools and non-profit organizations to receive support for educational beehives and bee programming so students can observe bees up close and learn about the vital role these pollinators play in our food system. Learn more and apply here.
Deadline: October 15th!
| |
| | |
|
KidsGardening.org and Klorane Botanical Foundation - Budding Botanist Grants
Who can apply? Public, private, or charter schools that are planning a new or expanding an existing school garden program designed to teach students about environmental sustainability and the importance of biodiversity are eligible.
20 schools will receive $500 in funding to support the development of new and improvement of existing gardens that teach students about environmental sustainability and the importance of biodiversity.
Learn more and apply here. Deadline: October 20th!
| | |
|
SeedMoney - Maine School Garden Grants
The Maine nonprofit, SeedMoney, is offering over 400 grants of $100 to $1000 through its 9th annual SeedMoney Challenge this fall. Any public food garden project is eligible to apply. Participating projects can apply for and receive multiple grants through a single online application due by November 12th. Among the grants available are $100-$1000 challenge grants that have fundraising requirements and $300 Maine "geographic interest grants" that have no funding strings attached.
Learn more and apply here.
Deadline: November 12th!
| |
| | |
|
This year's annual meeting theme is "Sowing the Seeds of Learning." Join the Maine School Garden Network as we come together as a community to exchange insights from the past year, acquire fresh knowledge to enrich our students' experiences and reflect on the moments we've shared in 2023. This also offers an optional professional development opportunity for 2.5 contact hours for educators. Friday, November 3, 2023 at Maine Audubon's Gilsland Farm, Falmouth, ME. Click here to view the full event agenda, get more info on the PD session, and register! | | | |
Fall 2023 Maine 4-H Agricultural Ambassadors Program | | |
|
Who: This program is for all Maine youth ages 14 – 18.
What: This hybrid program will provide youth with an opportunity to connect to local agriculture, build relationships with industry professionals, develop professional and advocacy skills, and explore careers in agriculture. The 2023 fall cohort will explore careers and local agriculture through in-person field trips (limited transportation available), and by attending virtual meetings to grow their professional skill set (e.g. resume writing and interviewing skills). Additionally, youth will complete a personal reflective project exploring the role of agriculture and their future. This program includes mentoring in post-secondary opportunities as well as exploring current issues around food systems, livestock, crop sciences, aquaculture, climate issues impacting food systems, food equity, and more.
| |
| |
|
Why: The goal of the Maine 4-H Ag Ambassador Program is to provide experiences for youth to explore their interest in agriculture. The program focuses on:
- connecting youth with their local food systems and industries
- exploring the richness and diversity of the Maine food system
- developing “ag-vocacy” skills
- increasing access to career and post-secondary opportunities in agri-science and food systems.
Where: Virtually and in-person throughout Maine.
When: - Virtual Meeting Dates: October 18 & 25, November 1 & 15
- In-Person Meeting Dates: October 21, November 10, and December 2.
How: Interested in Joining? Register Online by October 11th.
| | | |
Seaweed Education Professional Development! | | | |
|
Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center (MAIC), in collaboration with The World Wildlife Fund, is on a mission to get educational resources about seaweed aquaculture into Maine’s elementary classrooms. To facilitate learning about seaweed aquaculture, MAIC is providing Maine educators with hard copies of With a Little Kelp from Our Friends– a book on the secret life of seaweed written by Mathew Bate and illustrated by Liz Rowland. The book is also accompanied by teacher resources for a seaweed curriculum built around key sections of the book. These digital resources are available for free to all educators on the MAIC Kelp Curriculum web page!
Maine educators who would like to receive a free copy of this book can sign up for one at this link.
| | | |
|
|
Seaweed Education Professional Development Day
Educators who would like to attend a seaweed educators workshop on November 3rd in Belfast are welcomed to sign up at this link. This workshop will include:
- opportunities to speak with other educators across the state who are working with seaweed in the classroom
- opportunities to hear from/speak with members of the Maine seaweed industry including processors and farmers
- chances to try some of the hands-on seaweed activities for the classroom and consider implementation strategies
- opportunities to try out a few seaweed products
Contact hours will be provided. Register Here.
Date: November 3rd, 2023
Time: 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Location: The Boat House in Belfast, 34 Commercial St. Belfast, ME, 04915
Register by October 15th, 2023
For more information, please reach out to maineaqinnovationcenter@gmail.com.
| | | |
NAITCO Request for Workshop Proposals | | |
|
National Agriculture in the Classroom is seeking workshop proposals for the 2024 NAITC Conference "Agriculture Elevated" scheduled for June 24-27, 2024 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Proposals must demonstrate how the workshop uses agricultural concepts to meet the National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes (NALOs) and teach reading, writing, math, nutrition, science, STEM, social studies and other subject areas. Proposals also must reach early elementary (grades pre-kindergarten-2), upper elementary (grades 3-5), middle school (grades 6-8), high school (9-12) or all grades. The main workshop presenter of accepted proposals will receive a discount of $50.00 off the early-bird conference registration. More info here. The deadline for submissions is October 6th.
| |
| | |
Harvest of the Month - October is Maine Apples! | | | |
Teacher Resources Section | | |
|
Storing Winter Squash. Grades K-2. Students explore a variety of vegetables that can be stored through the colder months, including roots, alliums, cole crops, and winter squash and compare and contrast how families store food now with how they stored food long ago.
Let's Design a Garden! Grades K-2 Learning Module. A garden can tell the story of a community! In this module, you will be introduced to, and practice with, data science to design a garden for their community. You will learn real data scientist skills!
Squash. Grades K-5. Students will be able to explain the history of squash and locate where it is grown on a Maine map. They will be able to explain what part of the plant squash is, the growing season and its nutritional benefits. Students will be able to explain how foods with vitamin A keep us healthy and write a persuasive letter that includes squash. Students will also be able to participate in composting activities.
NEW MATRIX LESSON! Bunches of Berries. Grades 3-5. Students investigate a variety of berries, discover how and where they are grown, and explore their nutritional benefits.
Geography and Climate for Agricultural Landscapes. Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12. Students will discover how geography and climate influence the crops that are grown and the livestock that is raised in each state.
Looking for more? Explore the Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix HERE
| | | |
|
All About the Pumpkin. In two minutes, this video engagingly delivers a host of facts about pumpkins. Students will learn that each pumpkin has about 500 seeds, pumpkins originated in Central America, 19th century New Englanders thought that pumpkins could cure snake bites, and much more.
| | |
|
Halloween Starts on the Farm! Scarecrows, candy, apples, pumpkins - these Halloween staples all have roots in agriculture.
Fall Harvest Resources From Illinois Ag in the Classroom. Let's Give 'Em Pumpkin to Talk About - Standards based lessons for the fall harvest season. Go Big or Gourd Home - a booklet filled with pumpkin themed literature resources.
Fuel Up Learning Plan Lessons. Here you’ll find materials that will help students discover more about the things that matter like staying active and healthy, being mindful and pitching in to the make the planet greener. Check out the lesson plans that are currently available! About the learning plan: Focuses on STEM hands-on learning opportunities, including Health, Science, Agriculture and SEL topics; Aligns with national standards for grades 6-8 in science, social emotional learning, and health education; Incorporates a high degree of individual goal-setting, responsible decision-making, and mindfulness; Includes a focus on agriculture and environmental sustainability.
Indigenous Learning Resources. From the Outside Learning Store: We know that Indigenous knowledge and perspectives are foundational to outdoor learning, and that to authentically undertaking a learning journey towards deepening understanding and appreciation takes more than just a day each year, but should be continuous, across all four seasons. Through this understanding, we have partnered with many individuals and organizations to offer a diversity of Indigenous learning opportunities: Indigenous Learning Resources, Indigenous Learning Events & Courses, Podcast featuring Indigenous Educators (Episodes 3, 5, 6, 12, 14), Virtual Workshops featuring Indigenous Educators.
NEW Resource! Up Close Experience: Combines. The use of combines simplifies the work farmers must do to harvest their crops. By creating these efficient machines, we can access abundant food in the United States! Take an up-close look at a combine with this 360 video experience!
Spoonful: Bite-Sized Food & Nutrition Information. This blog focuses on feeding you bite-sized food and nutrition information that is science-based and applicable to your life. Enjoy the variety of blog posts including recipes, food preservation, grocery shopping on a budget, food safety, health tips, and more! The Spoonful bloggers are University of Maine Cooperative Extension staff members with knowledge of food and nutrition who hope you enjoy learning more about food and nutrition as much as they do!
Virtual Farm Trips. Register your students for live trips to farms across the country!
Fall 2023 Purple Plow Challenges. The newest Purple Plow challenges have launched! Are you and your classroom up for it? Individuals, groups, and classes in grades 5 through 12 are eligible to enter the competition. The Purple Plow Challenge site encourages students to research scenarios and build prototypes to solve problems related to related to food, hunger and sustainability. This Fall 2023 cycle there are three challenges available for classrooms from across the country to choose from:
Pollinator Challenge: Learn about pollinators and how to protect them
Growing Green: Create a solution that diversifies energy consumption
Cattle Ranch Riddle: Construct a model of a cattle ranch that balances production with other needs
| | |
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.
| |
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.
| |
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.
| |
Our Mission Statement
"To promote the understanding of agriculture and natural resources among students, educators, and the general public"
| | |
|
28 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
(207)287-5522
| |
| | | |
