Teacher Feature

Grants

Each year, the Illinois Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom program and the IAA Foundation give $10,000 in teacher grants. An application can be found

here. The applications are usually due in September and up to $250 is granted to each teacher.

AG EXPO 2003

You may contact Curtis Miller at the DuPage County Farm Bureau at 630-668-8161 or e-mail aitc@dcfb.org with any questions.

The DuPage County Farm Bureau’s Ag in the Classroom Program wants to help make back to school time, something we can all look forward to.

Resource Guides

The newly updated Teacher Resource Guide now features over 200 items that can be checked out from our extensive AITC resource library. Books, videos, teaching kits, visual aids, and more are available for your use. To request your own hard copy e-mail aitc@dcfb.org or call Curtis Miller at 630-668-8161.

Candy Culture and Creativity

Just like a kid in a candy store. A new unit from Ag in the Classroom with agricultural information about candy ingredients and seven lesson plans. Learn how to make your own gumdrop, create chocolate scented play-dough, map out where candy ingredients come from, and much more. This new unit will be featured on the website at www.agintheclassroom.org beginning in July.

New Illinois History, Biotechnology, Earth Day and Beef AG Mags are Availible!

Call your County Farm Bureau® to receive a free package. Classroom sets are available from the DuPage Farm Bureau For a complete list of topics, e-mail aitc@dcfb.org or call Curtis Miller at 630-668-8161.

Classroom Programs

Ag Education Expo March 10-11 2004

The DuPage County Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Program set a goal of providing an educational opportunity about agriculture and its relationship to the daily lives of people throughout the country for third and fourth grade students. From questionnaires sent to last year’s teacher attendees, members continue to adapt their displays actively involving students with presentation about Grain, Livestock, Vegetable and Dairy Production, as well as Nutrition and Food Safety/Chemicals.

Students are bused to the county fairgrounds for the Expo Prior to the event, teachers will be contacted to determine the interest level and to schedule attendance. The AITC program will supply material to the teachers who attend the exposition. The materials may include: videos, lesson plans, posters, bulletin board kits, etc. Different materials will be distributed to first, second, and third year returnees. We hope to see you there !

Enthusiasm about agriculture starts with the teacher. DuPage County educators have some great opportunities to learn ways to incorporate agriculture into the curriculum.

Summer Ag Institute JUNE 23-27, 2003

Now there is a way to accomplish several objectives at once: earn graduate credit, work towards re-certification, learn about a fascinating and critical industry, and have a great time--enroll in a Summer Ag Institute! Offered since 1990 in DuPage County the Summer Ag Institute (TEACHERS ON AN AGRISCIENCE BUS) offers graduate credit through Aurora University (TIDE) Program. The DuPage County Farm Bureau has teamed up with Naperville North High School Agriscience Department instructor John Bushman to present this three-credit course, which features a combination of hands-on workshops, presentations and field trips to farms and agribusiness. The tour will provide teachers and counselors with opportunities to view and experience new technologies in production agriculture, Ag product processing, horticulture, Ag engineering, communications, marketing leading to integration of Agriscience concepts into curriculum. For more information on the Summer Agricultural Institute, contact Curtis Miller at (630) 668-8161.

School Workshops

Teachers interested in learning how to effectively use any of the AgriScience kits, AgriLearning Kits, or the Kids, Crops, & Critters in the Classroom Teachers Guide and Innovations in Agriculture lesson guides while earning CPDU's towards recertification have the option of requesting a workshop in their school. Activities such as making plastic from corn starch, creating a "Soil Sam" are much easier to conduct in the classroom if you've had hands-on experience doing them. Call the DuPage Farm Bureau at (630) 668-8161 or e-mail aitc@dcfb.org

Agriscience Kits are Here!

The DuPage County Farm Bureau Ag in the Classroom Program now offers six different Agriscience Kits for classrooms grade K-8. The kits are available on an on loan basis and can be checked out at the Farm Bureau Office. The kits valued at $250 each are free for use by any teacher in DuPage County. The topics range from Pumpkins to Pizza. The kits contain materials, videos, resources, experiments, worksheets, books, activities and much more. The kits are only part of the over 180 different materials the Farm Bureau's Ag in the Classroom Program has to offer. If you or someone you know is interested in borrowing any of these materials please stop by the
Farm Bureau office or contact us by phone at 630-668-8161 or e-mail aitc@dcfb.org.

Like a Kid in a Candy Shop

By: Curtis Miller AITC Coordinator

Did you know Americans eat about 11.8 lbs. of sugar candy each year? In addition, candy ingredients are grown and processed all around the world. You might also be surprised to learn how many of those sweet treats are grown or made right here in Illinois. Illinois agriculture accounts for many candy ingredients including corn, soybeans, milk, sugar, eggs, nuts and honey. Candy it's origins, ingredients, cultural uses and nutritional information are all part of a new and exciting resource available through the DuPage County Farm Bureau and made possible by the Illinois Farm Bureau®.

The resource is called Candy, Culture and Creativity. Candy, Culture and Creativity is a teaching unit created by the Illinois Farm Bureau®, the Candy College® Library, and the Illinois Center for Food Safety and Technology. It is a collection of seven lessons, which should keep the interest of any student. Students can learn how to make their own gumdrops, create chocolate scented play dough, map out where each candy ingredient comes from and much more.

Candy, Culture and Creativity is available now, just in time for Halloween and the holidays. You may request a free copy through the DuPage County Farm Bureau Office at 630-668-8161 or e-mail aitc@dcfb.org. The packet and resource guide are also available online at www.agintheclassroom.org Enjoy!

Farm Bureau Offers Substitute Teacher Resource Guide

Substitute teaching is a great way for some farm families and others to gain extra income, while making a difference in the community and in the lives of children in DuPage and surrounding counties. The demand for substitute teachers is at an all time high and for those interested in becoming a teacher it is an excellent way to gain valuable classroom experience.

The Substitute Teacher Resource Guide can help those interested becoming a substitute teacher with the process. The guide is also full of valuable classroom activities, worksheets, and resources related to agriculture. The guide is now available at the DuPage County Farm Bureau Office or you can request a free copy by contacting Curtis Miller at 630-668-8161 or e-mail at aitc@dcfb.org. The guide is also available online at www.agintheclassroom.org under the What's New section.

Materials for Teachers

Please download the inventory file to view the materials, activities, resources, videos, and learning kits that are available through the DuPage County Farm Bureau®.

You can either download the zipped version or the self-extracting version.

Both versions include an Excel spreadsheet the you will need to open with Excel or another spreadsheet program.

The zipped version will need to be extracted to a location on your computer of your choice. The self-extracting version will automatically create a directory on your "c:" drive called ag_class. From there you will be able to gain direct access to the inventory listing.