Ag in the Classroom – Manitoba
Two exciting new resources are in the works at Agriculture in the Classroom–Manitoba (AITC–M) this school year, both focused on educating kids about Manitoba commodities and their importance to our everyday lives.
“We are so grateful to have Manitoba Pulse & Soybean Growers (MPSG) on board as a foundational sponsor for the new Manitoba Seed Kit and the Foundations of Manitoba Agriculture resources,” said Sue Clayton, Executive Director for AITC–M. “We are excited to be able to provide these long-anticipated resources to Manitoba teachers and students.”
Year after year, AITC–M’s number one requested resource by teachers is a seed kit. AITC–M is thrilled to be able to produce the Manitoba Seed Kit with the support of MPSG. They plan to create 700 kits, each containing the seeds of 15 Manitoba fibre, forage, food and feed crops, including soybeans, yellow peas and pinto beans. Students and teachers will learn to recognize the crops, where they are grown and processed in Manitoba, what they are used for and their economic importance.
The kits will be distributed and introduced to students by industry volunteers next March for Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month (CALM) during classroom visits as the featured resource. The kits that are connected to the grade 3–6 curriculum will stay in the classrooms and will be used year after year by teachers and students.
Educators also often tell the staff that even though AITC–M provides amazing classroom-ready resources and activities, they feel nervous teaching and answering questions about agriculture because they know very little about the topic. To address this concern, the Foundations of Manitoba Agriculture resource was born.
The Foundations of Manitoba Agriculture will be offered online and highlight all major crop and livestock commodities in Manitoba in three different formats to speak to educators and students across the grade K–12 audience. Pulse and soybean production in Manitoba will be featured as two of the major crop commodities in both long-and short-form summary sheets along with digital learning activities to promote a positive image of pulse and soybean production in the province.
The resource summaries will also focus on the history, health and nutrition, processing and technology and the vast career opportunities in the industry.
“We absolutely could not do all we do without the generous support of our members and sponsors like MPSG,” said Clayton.
To volunteer, become an individual or corporate donor to AITC–M, or learn more about what we do, head to aitc.mb.ca.
