Our Utah Agriculture in the Classroom team would like to thank everyone who made the past year such a success! We were very busy with inservice and preservice workshops--sharing educational resources with teachers and students to increase agricultural literacy. And, we were on the road presenting at the state science conference, the state social studies conference, the state STEM conference, and even the National Agriculture in the Classroom conference. We know that our work depends on the support of many, and we thank our donors, the Utah Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, the Utah Farm Bureau Women's Committee, volunteers, and others who generously offer their time, talents, and financial resources to help us in our mission of improving agricultural literacy by increasing student awareness about agriculture and instilling in students an appreciation of our food and fiber system. Here's to a great 2019!

~ Denise, Bekka, Carrie, and Lindsey

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we'll let you know when registration opens!

Brad Hendershot Receives Utah AITC

Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award

“Do you want to build a greenhouse?” That’s the question that Brad Hendershot’s 8 ^th grade science students asked him nearly eight years ago, and that was the beginning of an educational adventure! Fast forward to the present, and Excelsior Academy’s science program now includes two greenhouses and a thriving Greenthumbs program where students learn about agriculture using the themes “Food, Health, and Lifestyle” and “Science, Technology, Engineering & Math.”

The Utah Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award is a competitive award that annually recognizes an outstanding teacher who increases student awareness about agriculture and instills in students an appreciation for our food and fiber system.

As the recipient of the 2019 Utah Excellence in Teaching about Agriculture Award, Brad receives an expenses-paid trip to the National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, this summer. Utah Agriculture in the Classroom is proud to introduce Brad as the 2019 winner, and we look forward to working with him as he inspires future scientists and helps them understand the importance of agriculture in their daily lives. Read more about Brad’s story here.

Our Summer Agriculture Institute (SAI) will take place July 29-31, 2019.

SAI is an exciting three-day, traveling agricultural institute designed to help

K-12 teachers infuse their existing curriculum with the depth and real-world relevance that agriculture can bring to classroom learning experiences. Packed with food, tours, and inservice training, this special institute will provide professional development, foster agricultural literacy, and equip teachers with research-based lessons and activities. Participants will receive free classroom materials that are aligned with Utah standards and objectives. Join us as we tour various locations from Salt Lake City to Logan.

Watch for more details in the spring newsletter!

Imagine a school classroom surrounded by gardens. Are the students filled with wonder and curiosity? Do students in this classroom excel in their classwork? How would experiences in a garden impact the students’ school work, eating habits, and personal relationships? Research within schools indicates that school gardens can take children’s education even further than the school walls. By teaching in nature’s classroom, children learn in moments and experiences. They are inspired to use their senses to touch, smell, see, and taste the lessons provided by teachers. Their understandings of lessons will increase, but the reach of school gardens’ influence does not stop with lessons. The influence of gardens encourages children to investigate and inquire about the world around them. Children exercise their imaginations, build communication skills, think critically, solve problems, and create connections to food.

Thanks to the School Garden Center created by Utah Agriculture in the Classroom, integrating a classroom around a school garden becomes feasible. Lessons and resources are provided for teachers, and hands-on activities engage students in experiential learning in the garden. Students make connections from school gardens to language arts, history, geography, math, nutrition, art, social studies, and science. Students are instructed to read texts; keep journals; create garden signs; discover the history of food and different cultures; and measure, multiply, chart, and budget for school gardens. Students interact with each other and design and build their gardens using their own ideas. As a result, students have opportunities to make healthy eating and lifestyle choices as they taste the fruits and vegetables grown in their own gardens.

“Dig in” to the School Garden Center and help students engage in deeper learning techniques, develop relationships beyond school walls, and improve their understanding of core curriculum.