Classroom Programs

Each year the DeKalb County Farm Bureau offers these classroom programs: Ag in the Classroom presentations, the "Food for Thought" Placemat Design Contest and the Discovering Careers in Agriculture presentations.

Year after year, teachers enthusiastically involve their students in these popular programs. In 2009 alone, over 170 classrooms hosted over 100 volunteer presenters comprised of farmers, other agricultural professionals, and high school students, and 921 students from 51 classrooms in 19 schools entered designs in the placemat contest.

First - Fourth Grade Ag in the Classroom Presentations
(available during the month of February)
Farm Bureau has developed unique agriculture-related lessons for each of the following grade levels available to teachers during the month of February. Find out more. Sign up here. Supplemental Resources. 2010 Evaluation Form

First Grade, "More Than a Seed" - involves the students in planting corn and soybean seeds as they learn of the many uses of each.

Second Grade, "From Cow to Ice Cream" - helps children understand dairy farming and the nutritional benefits of dairy products. Students learn about milk production and make and eat their own "plastic bag ice cream."

Third Grade, "It's an Earful" - guides children in making a connection between agriculture and science; students learn about corn products as they construct a corn stalk from paper.

Fourth Grade, "Let's Play Ball" - guides children into making a connection between agriculture and their daily lives; links baseball to agriculture and touches on ag careers.

Fifth Grade Ag in the Classroom Presentations
(Available during the month of November)
"Discovering Careers in Agriculture" - Agriculture careers presentations are offered to 5th grade classrooms in November. This unique program involves local agribusiness people who deliver presentations to help 5th graders understand the importance of agriculture as an industry as well as the many career opportunities available. Click here for Supplemental Resources.

Food for Thought Placemat Design Contest
The Food for Thought Placemat Design Contest ties in closely to the ag presentations listed above. All first through fifth grade students are invited to enter. The primary purpose of the contest is to encourage teachers to expose their students to the many facets of agriculture. Each grade level is assigned a theme and following an agricultural lesson or one of the ag presentations, students can design a placemat based on the theme for their particular grade level. To further encourage a whole-class effort, we ask that the designs be created in the classroom. A panel of judges, made up of members of the Agricultural Literacy Committee, then selects first, second and third place winners at each grade level. The contest culminates with recognition of the winners and their teachers during an Awards Night at the Farm Bureau Center for Agriculture. Designs from each grade earning first place are printed on placemats for use in restaurants across the county! Click here for contest rules. Download required entry forms here.

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