Nearly 300 third graders from Central-Denison, Randall, Star Center, Traver and Woods Schools spent time learning about agriculture science at Badger High School on Friday, October 18th. The hands-on experience exposes the children to the career pathways in the world of agriculture and excites them for when they will be students at the high school.
Badger FFA Advisors Larry Plapp and Candice Franks and 48 FFA members set up and ran six labs in which each elementary student participates. Those labs are fun (and tasty) and help the elementary children understand agriculture, science and their importance to Wisconsin and the world. The labs include:
- Soils and vermiculture - learning about the layers of soil and worm composting through making pudding dirt cups;
- Plants - making ivy cuttings and learning about plant parts;
- Food Science - the science behind a taco and where food products come from in the United States;
- Veterinary Science - learn about a calf, mini horse, kittens, chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and sheep plus listening to the heart rate on an animal with a stethoscope;
- Aquaponics- Learn about Badger's Farm-To-School Program – learn about the tilapia,lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes grown for school lunch and our local food pantries;
- Beekeeping and Pollinators - a local beekeeper talks about her bees and students make soybean-beeswax lip balm.
Badger FFA holds this annual event as a part of FFA Food for America agriculture literacy programming.