October 2026 | Issue #182 Click 'View Entire Message' to make sure you don't miss important information! | | |
The rest of the week included apple cider pressing, touring blueberry barrens, grain milling and more! Pictured below is author, illustrator, and Maine native Hillary Dow, who came to present on fiber arts and storytelling. Hillary not only writes children's books, but she also illustrates all her own work using needle felting. Being able to see the process from start to finish was inspiring, and educators left brimming with ideas on how to bring fiber to their classrooms!
A full video recap of Summer Teachers Institute will be shared at the MAITCA Annual Meeting on Wednesday, October 14. If you haven't yet RSVP'd and are interested in attending, please email Willie at maitc@maine.gov or call 207.287.5522. Details are as follows:
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Time: 5:30pm Meet and Greet, 6:30pm Dinner
Venue: State of Maine Marquardt Building
32 Blossom Lane, Augusta
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Ag for ME Hard Copies
Did you know that printed paperback copies of all six Ag for ME books are available to Maine educators at no cost? While electronic copies of each book already live on our Teach ME About Food and Farms site, we understand that it is nice to have tangible copies in your classroom for students to browse independently.
To order your free set, simply email Willie at maitc@maine.gov!
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The Maine School Garden Network is happy to report they received over 25 applications for the 2026 School Garden Caretaker Grants! Each grant is for $2,000 to support the work of a school garden caretaker, not for supplies or projects.
The Review Committee selected the following three (3) winners:
- Tonya Prentice from Tremont Consolidated School in Bass Harbor
- Jane Freeman from Bangor High School in Bangor
- Mickie Flores from Deer Isle Stonington Elementary School in Deer isle
Based on the MSGN 2023 Network Survey, MSGN learned that only 52% of school garden coordinators in Maine are paid anything for their time and efforts. These grants are to not only pay the coordinators for their work but also highlight the work being done to teach students using school gardens in their schools and local communities.
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Additional funding is being sought to award additional grants. If you are interested in donating to fund a grant, please contact Susan Sager at susan@msgn.org.
Applications for 2027 School Garden Caretaker Grants will open in the summer and be due August 30th, 2027.
MSGN thanks the Elmina B.Sewall Foundation for funding support of this program!
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Maine Environmental Education Association mini Grants for Outdoor Learning offer up to $1,500 to public schools and teachers to support outdoor learning and environmental education projects. Most commonly, this funding is used to buy gear and/or supplies needed to support outdoor learning activities. This funding can also be used for professional learning to advance your outdoor learning teaching skills, collaborating with a community partner organization on a nature-based project, supporting Wabanaki Studies projects, and/or adaptive gear that supports ALL kids having access to outdoor learning in your school.
Application Deadline: October 9th
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The Bee Grant program allows for a school or non-profit organization to receive support for an educational live bee program. The purpose of this grant is to bring live bees to campuses across the country to engage students in pollinator education, enhance STEAM skills, and develop a life-time love of conservation and environmental stewardship. In addition to live bee hives, grant recipients receive curriculum, lesson plans, and other educational materials to bring the classroom into the heart of the hive!
Application Deadline: October 15th
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Grades K-2
Dig 'Em Up
Students investigate the functions of roots, recognize the difference between a tap and fibrous root system, and identify the roots of some plants as edible.
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Grades 3-5
Corn an A-maizing plant: Food, Fuel, and Plastic
Students examine the growth, composition, history, and uses of corn through a close reading activity, discussion of renewable and non-renewable resources, and hands-on exploration of bioplastics made from corn.
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Grades 6-8
Agritourism: Extreme Farm Makeover
Through project-based learning, students will work in groups to design an agritourism experience that will increase profits for a family-owned farm and provide agricultural literacy opportunities for community members.
| | Looking for more? Explore the Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix HERE | | Each season has its own qualities that set it apart. Winter, with its stark-white crust of snow, turns even a mundane scene into a sparkling fairyland. Spring along with her many shades of green, brings a promise of new beginnings. Summer gifts us with long, lazt days of endless blue skies and the scent of freshly mown grass. But fall has a magic, a secret, all its own. It offers a kaleidoscope of textures, smells, and colors. But what's behind those glorious colors we see among the treetops and upon the leaf-covered ground? Are leaves more than what they seem? | |  | The annual Pumpkin Festival is only one month away! This year, Poppy is in charge of the annual goat races. There's only one problem. Vincent Van Goat isn't interested in racing—or even running for that matter. He's more interested in eating grass, chasing butterflies, and napping with the pigs. Poppy is determined to make Vincent a star...but can she find a way to celebrate his hidden talent? | | | |
Don't forget that all SIX of our Agriculture for ME books are available to read online!
Classroom teachers and Homeschool providers can also request a hard copy set of books at no cost by email.
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Funding from this plate impacts up to 200,000 students annually with lessons, materials, volunteers and teacher training. Additionally, up to $60K is distributed annually in grants to schools, FFA, 4-H and other Non-profit programs for Ag education initiatives by the Maine Agriculture in the Classroom Council.
Learn more about the Ag plate 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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