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Theresa's Tidbits: Agriculture program valuable – and necessary
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
Of all the field trips I ever took in school, one stands out: an excursion by my Grade 2 class to a classmate’s farm.
Seeing the chickens made me realize eggs don’t just show up in cartons at the store. Seeing the cows brought home to me the fact that the jugs at Sobey’s are just the final containers for milk.
I am glad I was on that field trip, so I could know the facts about the food I was eating.
But today, ask any student in the lower grades where their food comes from, and chances are good you’ll get a response like, “Well, milk comes from jugs” or “Eggs come from cartons.”
With the rural way of life fast disappearing, such views are probably more widespread now than in the past, which is a shame.
That’s why initiatives such as the Classroom Agriculture Program are so important.
CAP is currently looking for volunteers to go to Grade 4 classrooms in their area and give a one-hour presentation about agriculture. This can be followed by the person explaining their area of expertise – for example, beef, dairy, etc.
Although it’s hard to find volunteers because people are busy, the knowledge they impart in these sessions is invaluable.
Here’s a suggestion, too: the sessions could be augmented with, or followed up by, a trip to a farm.
That way, the students would see for themselves what the presenters have been talking about and the information would set more deeply into their minds.
Not only would they know where their food comes from, but they would also get insights into a way of life that is in danger of disappearing, and perhaps they would do what they could to make sure farms aren’t totally gone in the future.
Hopefully, the students will come to realize that if farms do disappear, we will be paying much, much more for food that may or may not be fresh when it reaches us from the United States or overseas or wherever.
That shouldn’t happen to such a basic need as nourishment.
So, here’s some encouragement for area producers to get involved in CAP.
We know you are busy, and we deeply appreciate what you do. Please know that the time you take today to educate students about aspects of your lives, will pay off in that way of life being upheld in future.
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