2019 NHAITC Teacher of the Year
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Congratulations to Kindergarten teacher Hannah White of Woodsville Elementary School! Hannah has been named the NH Agriculture in the Classroom Teacher of the Year for 2019. The award recognizes her efforts in teaching our youngest students to become stewards of the land and showing them that they can make a difference in the world. Hannah believes that children learn best with hands on science exploration, so her school year starts out with the study of butterflies.
The in depth unit on saving the Monarch butterfly is packed with activities exploring life cycles, tagging butterflies to follow their journey south, harvesting milkweed seeds, counting out the seeds and sharing them with family and friends, explaining the importance of saving the butterfly, planting a pollinator garden and creating a news broadcast on why we need to save the pollinators. Students also work in the garden, continue the composting project, monitor the classroom aquarium, build birdhouses and much more. Hannah will be recognized at the Granite State FFA Convention in April and will be considered for National Agriculture in the Classroom's Excellence in Teaching Award.
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Monarch Butterfly in Garden
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Classroom Compost and Recycling Center
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Harvesting Milkweed Seeds
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Food, Land & People Workshop is a Great Success!
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Teachers, Cooperative Extension agents and others interested in agricultural education gathered at the UNH STEM Lab in Manchester for the day to delve into the
Food, Land & People curriculum. This collection of lessons and activities explores the r
elationships between agriculture, the environment, and human populations. Participants dug into several lessons such as Buzzy, Buzzy Bee, Go Go H2O and Root for Life. After trying out these activities, the group discussed ways to customize them using other resources such as
Nutrients For Life
,
Journey 2050
and the
National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix
.
When the day was done, comments included "fantastic workshop", "one of the best I've attended" and "I have great new ideas and enthusiasm for including agriculture in my teaching". Thanks to the Merrimack County Conservation District, Farm Credit East and Hannafords for making this workshop possible.
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There is still time left to apply for a Maple Equipment Grant or sign up for the Tucker Mountain Challenge!
Maple Equipment Grant:
A New Hampshire tradition can bring hands-on learning to your science, social studies, language arts, math and other classes. Maple syrup is a sweet way to engage students while learning a variety of academic concepts. Apply for a maple equipment grant to receive $200 in supplies or funds towards building an evaporator to help bring the lessons to life. In this competitive grant process, four to six grants will be awarded to schools demonstrating a plan for producing a minimum of 1 quart of syrup.
The Tucker Mountain Challenge
is a classroom competition for students to show off their sugaring skills. Entrants must submit one quart of maple syrup by 4/1/19. Samples will be judged on color, density, clarity and flavor. The first place class will receive $1,000, second place receives $750 and $500 for third place.
Applications are due 1/15/19.
Barrel Evaporator Available:
The Robert Lister Academy in Portsmouth recently upgraded their evaporator and is generously willing to donate their previous barrel evaporator to an interested school.
Description
:
55 Gallon Drum that was converted to a barrel stove. It is lined with fire bricks with grate to hold wood. Would include the two pans that go into the top cut outs. Four foot stove pipe. If you are interested, please email
nhaitc@nhfarmbureau.org
.
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Discover Christmas Trees
This lesson is composed of six learning activities to teach about the Christmas tree. Science, history, and geography topics are used to explore the history of the Christmas tree, life cycle of a conifer, types of trees and how they adapt, work on a Christmas tree farm, and the ecology of conifer trees.
Students will learn how to add value to Christmas trees by making scented pillows from balsam fir needles which can be used for gifts or potentially as a fundraiser for your classroom. Older students can also calculate the potential income from selling their value-added projects.
grades 3-5
Students will learn about the seasons, become familiar with the process of wool production, and explore how trade and barter have historically allowed people to satisfy their needs and wants.
An entertaining educational video exploring where physics and smashing fruit come together.
A career in agriculture involves a lot more than plowing a field and feeding animals. This brochure highlights career possibilities in agriscience, biotechnology, food science, production, natural resources and much more.
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NHAITC OUT & ABOUT
February 1st and 2nd, 2019
Manchester Downtown Hotel
Check out the vendors, educational sessions Kids Zone and FARMO!
School to Farm Field Trip Dates
Merrimack County in Concord 5/9/19
Sullivan County in Unity 5/13/19
Hillsborough County in Hudson 5/16/19
Grafton/Coos County in Bethlehem 5/22/19
Carroll County in Tamworth 5/30/19
Rockingham and Strafford at UNH 6/4-6/6
CLASSROOM SUPPORT
Your project - or one you are sponsoring - could be an award winner. Apply or encourage a student you know to apply for PEYA and see what a difference they can make for the environment with an award-winning project. Applicants from all 50 states and U.S. territories are eligible to compete for a regional certificate of special recognition and a national Presidential award.
Applications are now being accepted through February 1, 2019.
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NH AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM
Phone: (603) 224-1934
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