program overview

0T3B5418.jpg

Part I: Classroom Presentation

In today’s world, an astonishing number of children are unable to make the connection between the farmland surrounding them and the food on their tables. The traditional education system too often neglects the importance of agriculture and the hands and lands that cultivate the world’s food. This classroom creates a foundation in agricultural literacy and forms the first steps towards understanding the food supply chain. Consisting of five separate but equally important parts, this presentation engages students in science based learning and prepares them for an interactive farm field trip.

The 45-minute lesson includes:

  • Introduction to Local Agriculture & Agricultural Literacy

  • Soil & Plant Part Science

  • Top Ventura County Crops & The Farmers Who Grow Them

  • Shopping for Local Crops

  • Farm Lab Introduction

Farm-Day-2018-15.jpg

Part Two: Field trip to the Farm Lab at Petty Ranch

(Must complete part one prior to field trip)

SEEAG’s Farm Lab at Petty Ranch in Saticoy provides students with a hands-on learning experience by immersing them in a working farm. Field trip educators guide students through four stations equipped with STEM-integrated learning objectives that create a realistic understanding of the agricultural industry. This interactive three-hour excursion provides insight about current farming practices and opens students’ eyes to the science behind their food.

Introduction to the Farm Lab: Revisits classroom lesson and introduces students to Petty Ranch

  1. The Journey of a Lemon™: walks students through the full lifecycle of a lemon, introduces agricultural practices and harvesting techniques, and teaches basic plant science and the work it takes for food to get to their tables

  2. The Biology of Healthy Farm Soil: introduces the concept of soil as being alive, and its complex composition, including nutrients, micro-organisms, macro-organisms, and the inputs that farmers use to increase yields

  3. Bugs: Pollinators, Pests and Beneficials: stresses the vital roles biological controls and beneficials play on farms through lessons in biology and entomology

  4. The Lifecycle and Science of Plants: explores the roles of different types of plants and their relationship on the farm, and demonstrates the different stages of plants