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Teacher of the Year Application Deadline!
October 5, 2017
School Garden Intensive
Sebago Elementary School
October 14, 2017
9am - 4pm
Let's Go! 5210 School Symposium
Orono, ME - Oct. 19, 2017
Portland, ME - Oct. 20, 2017
MAITCA Annual Meeting
Maine State Grange, Augusta
November 2, 2017
5:30pm
MSGN Annual Meeting
Messalonskee High School
November 9, 2017
5pm
Maine Farm to Institution Summit
Hutchinson Center, Belfast
February 9, 2018
National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference
Portland, ME
June 26 - 29, 2018
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Teach ME about Food & Farms
*Contact us to plan a workshop date for your school for Spring 2018
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Special Programs
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Fuel Up to Play 60 offers educators a wide array of resources they can use to help students make sustainable changes in their school environment.
Agroworld- agricultural science e-zine developed for the secondary educator.
Kids Gardening has ideas about plants and gardens, teacher resources, and grant opportunities.
The Chop Chop magazine and website has easy and healthy recipes.
Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom Ag Mags are 4-page, colorful agricultural magazines for kids.
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| Agriculture License Plate |
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Funding from this plate has impacted 98,528 students in 2016 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.
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| Contact Us |
28 State House Station
Augusta, Maine 04333
207-287-5522
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October Newsletter
#73
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2017 |
Teacher of the Year Application DEADLINE: OCTOBER 5th!
Know of a great teacher who uses agricultural education materials and/or activities in the classroom to teach core subjects? Nominate them for our 2018 Teacher of the year!
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RSU 18 Garden Programs Make National News!
 Scroll to the bottom of this USDA News Bulletin to learn all about the garden programs at the schools in RSU 18 (Belgrade Central School, Messalonskee Middle and High Schools, Atwood Primary School).
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Check out this
WikiWatershed, a web toolkit designed
to help citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water.
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Take a few moments to read
this article to learn what a few teenagers have been up to in Western Maine!
Excerpt:
"It's a hot and quiet day on the farm. The sun beats down, the chickens softly cluck as they bathe in the holes they have dug in the dirt. As far as the eye can see, vegetables are in all stages of growth. Some have bolted, some are just coming up. Garlic beds are barren as tiny green tomatoes hang on tender vines. Amidst this largess are two teenage boys. It is an August day at Roberts Farm." Article by A.M. Sheehan.
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Field Trip Opportunity
Make the Gardens your outdoor classroom this fall by scheduling a field trip to Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens! Their Cultivating Curiosity Field Trip program offerings include field studies of birds, pollinators, plants and decomposers; in-depth natural history and garden walks; Discovery Backpacks as well as the opportunity to plan a self-guided visit utilizing the group space and Gardens as your classroom for the day.
To learn more about learning opportunities and special school group rates and policies.
September and October dates are still available, so schedule your field trip today by contacting Erika Huber, Youth and Family Programs Coordinator at 633-8031.
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From Cow to You: How Milk Gets from Farm to Table
New Dairy Resources! The New England Dairy Council recently partnered with Young Minds Inspired (YMI) to create printed and electronic resources for grades 5-8. They are designed to help students develop a personal connection to the concept of sustainability through their own eating habits and through the example of New England's Regional dairy farmers. Students watch a video to find out how New England dairy farmers care for their cows and their farm land, learn why it is important to have three servings of dairy every day, and create a public awareness campaign to reduce food waste at school.
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History: How the Tractor Changed Farming in America
How much thought have you given to the great American tractor? If you have food on your table, you have the tractor to thank for it. While a lot of us will never see the inner workings of a farm firsthand, we can still appreciate the purpose and power of the tractor that brings America's food supply from farm to table.
Learn more about the history of the tractor.
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FREE EVENT! Learn strategies for implementing movement during the school day thoughtfully and purposefully for all grade levels. Discover new ideas on how to increase youth engagement with Let's Go! efforts. Identify tools on how to effectively communicate and implement district wellness policies. Gain insight on innovative strategies to increase healthy eating in your school cafeteria. Learn more & Register.
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Lessons:
- Whipping Butter into Shape. Grades: 3-5. Students will investigate the physical change that occurs as milk is turned into butter.
- Esperanza Rising. Grades: 3-5. Students will read the novel; Esperanza Rising written by Pam Munoz Ryan, to learn more about migrant workers, agricultural economics, the impact of agriculture to rural communities, agricultural history and how fruits and vegetables have been harvested historically and are harvested currently.
- Mushroom Multiplication. Grades 6-8. Learn about edible mushroom cultivation and how one mushroom multiplies into many more! Create a spore print, and explore ecology concepts by experimenting with mold and yeast growth and researching species of fungi.
- Energy and the Commodity Trace-Back. Grades 9-12. In this lesson students will describe the domestic food supply chain and identify the use and types of energy involved in the growth, harvest, processing, transportation, and marketing of an agricultural commodity.
Books: 
Pumpkin Pumpkin
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?
Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden
Let's Make Butter
Pumpkin Jack
Carlos and the Cornfield
Esperanza Rising
Videos
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Deep Sea Fish Farming in Geodesic Domes
Get a closer look at a prototype of free floating deep sea fish farms and
get an understanding for why we need better ways to cultivate our future food sources.
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| How Does it Grow? Mushrooms |
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Save the Date!
The National Agriculture in the Classroom Conference is coming to Portland, ME! June 26-29, 2018. Keep your eyes and ears open for great opportunities!
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