Summer fun might be in full swing but back-to-school season is just around the corner, and here are some reasons to gift FARM Crates to teachers in your community:
- Help them incorporate agriculture into their lessons
- Supplement your county Farm Bureau’s Agriculture in the Classroom efforts
- Reach grade levels your county’s P&E activities don’t normally reach
- Enrich Project RED learning by providing a crate at another time of year
- Connect with a new school you haven’t yet worked with
FARM Crates are again available in K-2 or 3-5 grade options. Each includes a food or agriculture book, a hands-on, printed lesson plan and support materials, an online extension activity and a teacher gift. The content is based in grade-appropriate educational standards and helps connect required content to agricultural concepts.
Crate subscriptions will include four fall themed crates: Apples, Pumpkins, Turkeys, and Christmas Trees. Subscribe and save with a discounted rate of $25 per crate. One brand new crate with an Insect theme is available for individual purchase.
New this year is a Refresh Pack for encouraging the reuse of crates received last year. Refresh Packs include consumable materials and renewed access to digital resources for just $15 each.
All fall crates for the fall months must be ordered by Aug. 23. Crates will be shipped at the end of the preceding month; October crates will ship in late September, and so on. Because Aug. 23 is so close to the end of county Farm Bureaus’ fiscal year, counties will receive a discount code for use in delayed billing to pay for their order in the 2021-22 fiscal year. (Note this option is only available to county Farm Bureaus.)
Here’s more detailed information about each of our fall 2021 FARM Crates:
September: Math, Easy as Pie
Students will learn about the parts of an apple, where they grow and meet a Michigan apple farmer. Teachers and students will use pie pieces for a variety of math concepts from patterning; identifying greater than, less than or equal to; or solving word-problems while learning about the different varieties of apples grown in Michigan.
September: Creepy Crawly Critters
Up for an adventure? Get up and get out! Take your students on a walk to explore the environment and insects found in your community. In this lesson, students will explore insects through three types of resources, they will hear from a local Michigan farmer about how insects are beneficial and how they treat for pests and conclude by completing various complementing worksheets.
October: Pumpkin Spice & Everything Science
Explore the life of a pumpkin! Students will review what a plant needs to grow before diving into a fresh pumpkin to identify and learn about the internal and external parts of a pumpkin and what role they play in its healthy development. Students will learn about the parts of a pumpkin, where and how they grow and meet a Michigan pumpkin farmer. Teachers and students will use a pumpkin to identify the parts of the pumpkin and how they support its healthy growth. Students will build a pumpkin life cycle using pictures to identify the process, from seed to decomposition.
November: Talkin’ Turkeys
Kindergarten through second-grade students will be introduced to non-fiction text and learn about the parts of a book. They will learn about turkeys and use what they learned from the book by applying it to activities in this lesson. Activities include creating a turkey puppet and completing a flap book highlighting the turkey facts they have learned. Third- through fifth-grade students will reach a fiction chapter book and answer comprehension questions for each chapter. Students will recall actions from the book to outline the plot, conflict and feelings of the characters. All students will meet a Michigan turkey farmer!
December: Trees, Traditions & Trade
Sit down next to the crackling fire as students learn about Michigan Christmas trees through the eyes of a young child and the stories her grandfather shared when she was growing up in Northern Michigan. Hear first-hand from a Michigan tree farmer and see what it takes to care for and grow the best trees for the holiday season. Finally, students will learn about goods and services in their community and needs versus wants through interactive activities.
Have your Promotion & Education volunteers work with your county administrative manager to order through the Michigan Agriculture in the Classroom online store. Click here to download a promotional flyer.
MFB staff contact: Amelia Miller, 517-679-5688