Learning about grain farming with STEM

Good in Every Grain, the public outreach campaign from Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) has launched an award-winning science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program for Ontario Grade 3 classrooms.

Good Every Grain’s Ontario Farming STEMterprise is a unique teaching resource based on Ontario grain farming in coordination with the Ontario elementary school curriculum. The Farming STEMterprise program created by the National Farmers Union United Kingdom (NFU U.K.) brings agriculture into the classroom in a fun and exciting way for students and teachers alike.

GFO Communications Manager Victoria Berry said in a release that supporting teachers is a priority for the organization, and recognizes “that teaching agriculture can be daunting if you are not a farmer or working in the industry. STEMterprise is a great program for aligning agricultural knowledge and experiences with the current teaching curriculum.”

The 10-week program meets the Ontario curriculum requirements in several subject areas, including Science and Technology, Health and Physical Education, Engineering, Language, and Math, in 10 stages of weekly lessons and activities.

Lesson plans use several skill sets as they lead students through growing grain seeds in their classroom, conducting a market survey of existing granola bars, creating their own nutritious granola bars to meet consumer, or other students, needs, marketing, designing sustainable packaging and selling their product at a “farm store.”

This program, offered at no cost to Ontario teachers, will allow students to learn where their food comes from, how food gets from field to fork, and how farmers protect the environment while meeting the increasing demand for food. Students will also develop business, entrepreneurship, and sales skills as they create a classroom bake sale with their granola bar businesses.