Friday I was one of the lucky individuals who led a group of 5th graders around campus learning about different areas of agriculture.
The first class we went to was Chocolate Science. Here the students tasted White, Milk and Dark Chocolate and learned about cacao bean pods and how chocolate is made.
Our next session was the canulated cow. Students were able to feel the inside of the rumen of a live cow and feel and smell the rumen fluid and other contents. Students looked, felt, and smelt the feedstuffs used to feed dairy cattle, and were even able to look at a slide of rumen contents under a microscope.
One poor little boy was hit when the cow (Brownie) coughed and rumen fluid went all over him. He was not interested in feeling the rumen after that. No worries though, we got him cleaned up and right back into the session.
At the end of the session, the students learned about dairy products and how Ohio plays a role in the industry. Brownie took it upon herself to cough again causing the plug to fly out and even more students to be hit with small particles of rumen fluid.
Thank goodness there wasn't a third time to "charm" us with the insides of the rumen!
We then went to a session in the 4-H center on 4-H where the students performed a simple experiment in the area of food science. They learned about dehydrated foods and how they aid in our society.
Our group then ate lunch, and headed back over to Ag Campus. Students were in a session about bacteria and contamination relating to food safety.
Finally, our students went to the entemology lab where they saw walking sticks from Australia and the United States, as well as beetles, scorpions and even a trantula.
Overall, it was a great day and I'm thankful that teachers and students are interested to know about agriculture. One boy said on his way to the bus, "This is the best field trip EVER!"
I think that pretty much sums up the difference we can make through agriculture and education!
No comments:
Post a Comment