Warwick School District

PA Farm Bureau’s Mobile Ag Education Science Lab Visits John Beck

Throughout this past week, students at John Beck participated in a variety of different Agriculture-oriented activities and sessions through the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau's Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab.

The Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation, is a division of Pennsylvania Farm Bureau (PFB). Pennsylvania Farm Bureau's Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab creates an opportunity for students to learn about agriculture (Pennsylvania's number one industry) in a fun and hands-on way. 

“With fewer children having a tie to farming, we created the Ag Lab program to help teachers educate more students about the importance of agriculture,” said PFB President Rick Ebert. 

Once stationed at a school, students enter the lab to perform science experiments that teach lessons focused on farm, food, fiber and the environment. Mobile Lab visits to schools are coordinated with the preparation of teachers and their classes for the science experiments. 

A certified teacher travels with the lab to lead each class in the science experiments. The lab is equipped with all the materials and supplies needed for the experiments. While there are a ton of different sessions available, John Beck students will be attending the following: Tops & Bottoms, Old McDonald’s Farm, Corn to Plastic, Little Red Hen’s Pizza, Crawly Critters, Colorful Bean, Tree Story, and No Soil, Now What?

Tops & Bottoms (Kindergarten students attended)

In the Tops & Bottom session, students heard a story of a lazy bear and a smart hare that got involved in a deal that had hilarious consequences. This lively folktale led to a discussion of plant parts and the parts of a plant that provide our food—tops or bottoms. Students had the opportunity to plant seeds of a ‘tops’ or ‘bottoms’ plant that they took back to their classroom to observe as it germinates and grows.

Old McDonald’s Farm (MDS students attended)

During the Old McDonald’s Farm session, students were engaged in an interactive retelling of ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ where students could rediscover what farms have and provide to us. The components of a farm are reinforced as students make a ‘fan farm’ by identifying and placing stickers of various farm items on their fan.

Corn to Plastic (6th grade students attended)

For the Corn to Plastic session, students participated in two experiments that enabled them to better understand the concept of a by-product. One investigation examined the environmental impact of two packing foams: Styrofoam (made from petroleum) and Eco foam (made from corn). The next investigation involved students making plastic from corn and comparing it to plastic made from petroleum.

Little Red Hen’s Pizza (1st grade students attended)

Pizza is traced back to the farm through the telling of a modern version of The Little Red Hen. For this session, students interacted with the story through the use of props, then created a pizza charm that traced all the parts of a pizza back to the natural resources from the farm needed to produce them.

Crawly Critters (2nd grade students attended)

For the Crawly Critters session, students learned how to identify insects, as well as recognize that not all insects are pests. Students simulated the communication methods of insects and learned how farmers can sometimes use this knowledge to control insects in their fields without using harmful chemicals. 

Colorful Bean (3rd grade students attended)

In the Colorful Bean session, students were introduced to the scientific method as they experimented to decide if petroleum or soybean based crayons produce the brightest color with the least flakiness and best covering power. Students ended the session with a crayon making demonstration where each student received a soy-based crayon.

Tree Story (4th grade students attended)

For the Tree Story session, students were introduced to tree dendrology where they got to date two tree samples and identify patterns of tree growth. Various parts of the tree and their purposes were identified. Students examined the properties of two similar trees and learned how those properties affect the ways in which the trees can be used.

No Soil, Now What? (5th grade students attended)

With only 1/32 of our earth’s surface available upon which to grow food, how will we feed a world population of 9.2 billion by 2050? Hydroponics, growing without soil, is one possibility. In this session, students discovered the need for alternative growing methods, then created their own hydroponic growing system to test if plants can be grown without soil.  

What a fun week spent learning about the importance of agriculture in our every day life!

View pictures from the sessions!