Maine Agriculture in the Classroom

The Fall Fiber Tour & Trail event returns for the fourth year this October.

Participating businesses offer varying displays, activities and educational insight about everything from caring for fiber animals and crops, and behind-the-scenes looks at textile production, processing, yarns, knitting, felting and fiber arts activities.
Real Maine
https://www.realmaine.com/agritourism/2024-real-maine-fall-fiber-tour-trail-sites/

Based on the concept of rotational grazing, this elementary task takes students on a journey to learn about how cattle and the ecosystem are deeply intertwined. Matter cycles, food webs, and interdependent relationships all come into play as students explore how various agriculture practices can cause an ecosystem to improve.

Grazing Task Based on the concept of rotational grazing, this elementary task takes students on a journey to learn about how cattle and the ecosystem are deeply intertwined. Matter cycles, food webs, and interdependent relationships all come into play as students explore how various agriculture practices can cau...

The Greater Franklin Food Council is excited to announce the long awaited sharing of the Growing Gardeners School Garden Curriculum! This comprehensive, standards-aligned, K-8 curriculum, co-authored by four educators who have a passion for all things school gardens, will be available for purchase soon!
In the meantime, there is a preview to give interested educators an opportunity to get a sense of the breadth and depth of this resource. Included is the Table of Contents, all of the documents that make up the Preface, and one sample lesson of the twenty in total. The lesson, like all of the others, is broken into three separate sections for different developmental age groups: K-2, 3-5, and 6-8.
We hope you have an opportunity to explore this resource a bit as you prepare for the upcoming school year and encourage you to reach out to Laura with questions at [email protected].
Check out the sample here: https://www.greaterfranklinfoodcouncil.org/school-gardens

In this high school task, students explore the food ecosystems of two samples of yogurt with different bacteria to figure out which types are harmful and then explore the environmental conditions that allow harmful and less harmful bacteria to thrive.

Are All Bacteria Harmful? In this high school task, students explore the food ecosystems of two samples of yogurt with different bacteria to figure out which types are harmful and then explore the environmental conditions that allow harmful and less harmful bacteria to thrive. This is the high school version....

Wow! Yesterday was at Fair at the Eastern States Exposition, and 121,854 people attended the fair! This is a Maine Day attendance record at the ! visitors were very excited about Maine Potato Board baked potatoes, Valley View Orchard Pies' Maine wild blueberry desserts, Tree of Life Maple Farm's maple syrup, coffee, cotton candy, and milkshakes, and tasting and buying Maine food products from the 30+ Maine brands exhibiting in the Maine Building.

RESOURCE: Culturally Inclusive Foods Webpage
USDA’s new Culturally Inclusive Foods webpage is a one-stop shop for FNS resources and information that support cultural eating practices in federal nutrition programs, like CNPs, WIC, SNAP, Food Distribution Programs, and more. From culturally inspired recipes, trainings, USDA Foods lists with culturally inclusive foods, to materials in multiple languages, the website supports FNS’ goal to ensure all communities have access to foods that support health and well-being. The site also features new resources for serving kosher and halal observant communities.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/programs/culturally-inclusive-foods

Nutrition Tips for Teen Athletes to perform their best!

Nutrition Tips for Teen Athletes to Perform their Best - New England Dairy Essential nutrition tips for teen athletes. From energizing breakfast ideas to recovery snacks to fuel your teen's growth and development.

Growing School Gardens Summit Webinar Series

This six month series will feature presentations from the Growing School Gardens Summit from this past March. A great opportunity to refresh this rich content or catch a session you missed in San Diego!
Take a look at the lineup and register! We will be kicking off the series with Some IS Something: Healthful, Healing, and Nourishing Herbs with Leona Vrbanac on September 18th
https://sgsonetwork.org/2024-growing-school-gardens-summit-webinar-series/

Tomatoes are the featured product for the Maine Harvest of the Month program for September! Tomatoes for Neela is a great book to read in your classroom to talk about tomatoes! It's one of our past Read ME books. You can find the Read ME Guide with lessons and activities to go along with the book on our Teach ME site!
https://teachmefoodandfarms.org/read-me-guides/

ARTICLE: A Deep Dive into School Food Forests
https://www.farmtoschool.org/news-and-articles/happy-world-environment-day-a-deep-dive-into-school-food-forests

This is a great time of year to make homemade pickles using homegrown or farm-fresh vegetables. Best of all, they don't require canning and will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Easy Refrigerator Pickles Activity Make refrigerator pickles any time of year using homegrown or purchased vegetables. A fun and easy garden or cooking idea for kids.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: The Samull Classroom Herb Garden Grants
Deadline: October 15, 2024
Award Amount: $300
These grants ensure that learning about herbs can be part of the curriculum. The grants support elementary schools establishing an herb garden.
Eligibility at a glance: Elementary classrooms grades K-6 with ten or more students

Herb Society of America Grants and Scholarships HSA funds two grant programs and local Units support scholarships for horticulture students.

RESOURCE: Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten
Explore the expanded edition of Discover MyPlate: Nutrition Education for Kindergarten. The updated set includes additional food cards, Spanish-language components, and fun new resources showing where food comes from.

Discover MyPlate is fun and inquiry-based nutrition education that fosters the development of healthy food choices and physically active lifestyles during a critical developmental and learning period for children—kindergarten.

Kindergarten teachers can meet education standards for math, science, English language arts, and health using the six ready-to-go and interactive lessons. Children become food-smart as they practice counting, reading, writing, and more.

https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/discover-myplate-nutrition-education-kindergarten

Check out these Community Science Fall Field Season Events you can be a part of with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute!
https://mailchi.mp/gmri/2024-fall-field-season-community-science-offerings?e=69245af620

We are excited to announce the 2024 School Garden Caretakers Grant winners!
- Selina Warren, Kingfield Elementary School, Kingfield, Maine
- Laura Hoeft, Multiple Schools in Franklin County
- Kate Wuori, Stratton School, Stratton, Maine
- Deb Thibodeau, South Bristol School, South Bristol, Maine
- Amanda Delorie, Benton Elementary School, Benton, Maine

We are thankful for the support for the two year School Garden Caretakers Grants which were funded by the Healthy People Healthy Places Nature Based Education grant program administered by the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation.

The School Garden Caretakers Grant offered five $2000 grants to School Garden Coordinators to support their volunteer work (or supplement their paid work) with a financial vote of confidence in both 2023 and 2024. The School Garden Caretakers Grant application and award process was managed by Maine Agriculture in the Classrooms (MAITC) as they already offer grants to school gardens.

Healthy Kids Happy Planet is offering a limited number of educator grants up to $300.00 to cover cost of ingredients for easy, no-cook classroom culinary projects,
aligned with our Cool Bean and Daily Scoop nutrition programs!!

No grant app. No hassle. If interested, email [email protected] with "Cool Bean Grant" in subject line

The Fall Fiber Tour & Trail event returns for the fourth year this October.

Participating businesses offer varying displays, activities and educational insight about everything from caring for fiber animals and crops, and behind-the-scenes looks at textile production, processing, yarns, knitting, felting and fiber arts activities.
Real Maine
https://www.realmaine.com/agritourism/2024-real-maine-fall-fiber-tour-trail-sites/

Professional Learning Opportunity:
4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning
Beginning in the Fall, offered in partnership with over 50 non-profit organizations, this course serves to support participants in deepening their understanding of Indigenous knowledge and perspectives while strengthening connections with the local Land and supporting more respectful, reciprocal relationships.
https://outdoorlearning.com/4-seasons/

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY:
Association of American Educators Foundation Classroom Grant
Deadline: October 1 and March 1, annually
Award Amount: Up to $500
Teacher scholarships and classroom grants are competitive awards available to all educators that can be used for a variety of projects and materials including, but not limited to, books, software, calculators, math manipulatives, art supplies, audio-visual equipment, and lab materials.

Scholarship & Grant Program — Association of American Educators AAE’s National Scholarship & Grant Program You’re a professional, we support you.Teacher scholarships and classroom grants are competitive awards available to all educators.Apply online for up to $500 for professional development or classroom materials.Application deadlines: October 1 and March ...

WEBINAR OPPORTUNITY: September 18 – SOME IS SOMETHING: HEALTHFUL, HEALING, AND NOURISHING HERBS
3:30pm

Some IS Something: Healthful, Healing, and Nourishing Herbs – SGSO Network Upcoming Webinars Some IS Something: Healthful, Healing, and Nourishing Herbs By Tristana Pirkl September 18, 2024 August 20, 2024 Upcoming webinar Some IS Something: Healthful, Healing, and Nourishing herbs September 18th at 12:30PM PT/3:30 PM ET High school students benefit exponentially from time...

Find Your Seafood Week: Sept 8 - 14, 2024
The Local Catch Network (LCN), based in the School of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine, is facilitating the fourth annual ( ) to connect community members directly with fishing families and seafood harvesters and to raise awareness of community-based fisheries across the United States and Canada. Find Your Seafood Week is a social media campaign that runs from September 8-14 and increases the visibility of domestic seafood harvesters and businesses that participate in direct marketing — in other words, selling their catch directly to consumers, rather than relying on complex and often murky supply chains. The Local Catch Network invites community members to join the “boat-to-fork” movement by using the Seafood Finder to learn more about community-based fishing businesses, the locations they operate, the number of fishermen they partner with, and the types of catch they offer during and beyond. Spread the word with their Campaign Toolkit.

LocalCatch

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. We're accepting applications and nominations NOW!
You can find more info and applications on our website:
https://maine.agclassroom.org/programs/teacher/

WEBINAR OPPORTUNITY from KidsGardening.org and Life Lab
In the Growing Classroom Webinar Series
Join this yearlong webinar series that blends the marvels of nature, the magic of cross-curricular connections, and the joy of culinary exploration!
https://kidsgardening.org/webinar-series-growing-classroom/
Upcoming webinars:
👩🏼‍🍳September 19: Cooking With Kids in the School Garden
🌎November 21: Teaching Social Studies in the Garden with the C3 Framework
Previous webinars are recorded:
⚛February 22: Next Generation Science in the Garden
🌿March 28: Responsive Outdoor Classroom Management
👩‍🏫May 23: Teaching Multilingual Learners in the Garden

Webinar Series: In the Growing Classroom - KidsGardening This LifeLab webinar series blends the marvels of nature, the magic of cross-curricular connections, and the joy of culinary exploration!

📚Book Spotlight: Apples by Gail Gibbons 📚

This book teaches all about apples. Students will learn how and when apples were brought to America, about Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), where apples grow, names of basic varieties of apples, the parts of an apple, about pollination of apple blossoms, the lifecycle of the apple tree, and the many culinary uses for apples.

Follow the link to learn more and discover lesson plans associated with this resource: https://agclassroom.org/matrix/resource/206/

RESOURCE: Fall Foliage: Why Leaves Change Colors. Colorful pigments, such as the yellow and orange carotenoids, are masked in most plants by the strong presence of chlorophyll. When the chlorophyll breaks down in autumn, these hidden hues are revealed. Learn more:

Fall Foliage: Why Leaves Change Colors What makes the leaves change colors? Fall foliage is colorful science! Learn more about the chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanins in autumn beauty.

LESSON HIGHLIGHT: *Recommended for September - Lesson 1 from the Healthy Kids Healthy Planet Curriculum - Plants are Powerful Food... for better grades and mood!
Grades K-6 Cool Bean and Cultural Connection: Introduction to Cool Beans & Multicultural Cuisine. Nutrition Focus: Healthy Eating Plate, Nutrients, Body Cells. Fun worksheets with recipes too! Classroom Culinary Project – easy, quick, no-cook Cool Bean recipes for FALL. BONUS Enrichment, Kids Cooking Show – Queen Bean preps fresh veggie wraps!

Elementary Curriculum - Grants - Healthy Kids Happy Planet Discover our free, standards-based Cool Beans from Around the World nutrition curriculum designed for elementary students.

Check out our September newsletter!

Dig in to the MAITC September Newsletter Monthly news & updates September 2024 | Issue #156 *make sure to click "View entire message" to get access to the full newsletter!* Make a Scholarship Donation   Calendar of Events Teacher of the Year

Why was the scarecrow given an Award?

Because he was OUTSTANDING in his field! 🤣