WINTERSVILLE - The Wild Ag Ventures program made a stop recently at Wintersville Elementary school and featured a number of local people involved in agricultural activities.
The event is sponsored by the Jefferson County Farm Bureau Promotion and Education committee, Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, Ohio State University/Jefferson County Extension and Keep Jefferson County Beautiful.
Heather Waggoner, vice president of the school's parent-teacher organization, said planning for the event began in early August.
Article Photos
Jess Looman
TALKING?ABOUT?RECYCLING — Sherry Finney of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau explained the importance of recycling to third-grade pupils of Wintersville Elementary School during the Wild Ag Ventures held recently at the school. She also explained what types of products can be recycled and where the recycled goods can be taken.
"I saw an advertisement for it in a nationwide farm magazine and then presented it to Principal (Toni) Dondzila to see if we could hold it," she explained.
Each class was offered two programs and included the following:
First-grade: "Pop, Pop, Popcorn and Butter," which had the pupils make their own butter for popcorn as well as design their own cereal box covers to learn how the colonials liked popcorn so much that they ate it as cereal with cream; and "Fun with Dirt," in which the pupils built layers of rock and dirt out of edible material to learn how rain water travels through different layers.
Second-grade: "Worm Alley," which explained to the pupils how worms help the environment as well as about their behavior; and "A Day on the Dairy Farm," where pupils watched a four-minute movie about dairy farming, finding out what cows eat and how their body produces milk and what products come from milk. The pupils then had the opportunity to make their own ice cream.
Third-grade: "Recycling Can be Bun," where pupils learned it's important to be concerned about recycling and knowing what container is for recycling. They also learned about landfills and what products can be recycled; "This little piggy," in which pupils met a pig, decorated pig cookies, learned how the meat comes from farm to table, breed characteristics and origination of pigs.
Fourth-grade: "Fun Farm Facts Scavenger Hunt," where pupils learned farm facts; and "Pizza Garden," in which pupils were shown the ingredients of pizza and how sauce is made from tomatoes, how tomatoes are grown, sizes and types of tomatoes and herbs and spices from the garden that can be added to sauce.
Fifth-grade: "Birds of Ohio," where pupils learned the different types of birds, the adaptations they have and how they survive; and "Bees Knees," where they learned about honey bees and what the insects eat, how they make honey and how they work all day and night in the hive.
Sixth-grade: "Let's Go Wild," in which different animals were discussed and how they once all existed in our area until forests were cut down; and "Decomposers," where pupils learned the importance of decomposition of animals, plants and the earth,
"The program went over extremely well and everyone seemed to enjoy it," Waggoner remarked. "We are hoping to bring it back to the school each year."
Pupils were given a gift bag to take home filled with bookmarks, pencils, coloring and activity books, cow erasers, soy crayons and information on different animals.
(Looman can be contacted at jlooman@heraldstaronline.com.)
