NW Missouri Times

More than 70 area children have gained a better understanding of agriculture with the help of three Northwest Missouri State University students. Agriculture education majors Emma Brushwood, Meghan Hunerdosse, and Allie Stone organized and led the camp from July 15-19 at Northwest’s Agricultural Learning Center, using a classroom-based curriculum provided by Agriculture Education on the Move.

As part of their summer internship experiences, Brushwood taught agriculture to children at elementary schools in Albany and Bethany; Hunerdosse taught in Carrollton and St. Joseph; and Stone taught in her hometown of Moberly.

“I have gotten such great experience in the classroom and with kids, and it has been such an amazing experience,” said Hunerdosse, a senior from Indianola, Iowa. “I love teaching the kids agriculture and seeing their faces light up when they learn what germination is and connect the dots, where the food comes from to where it actually was planted in the ground.”

In addition to their teaching assignments in area schools, the women coordinated a week-long camp at Northwest after participating in a training session with Agriculture Education on the Move last fall. They designed the camp for area children who weren’t exposed to agriculture-based lessons during other summer school programs or through their local FFA chapters.

From 12:30 to 4 each afternoon, children ranging from kindergarten to seventh grade gathered at the Agricultural Learning Center. The campers were divided into three age groups and participated in lessons about soybeans, corn, pork, beef, poultry, soil nutrition, and careers in agriculture. Activities included creating germination necklaces, making butter, playing beef bingo, and interacting with pigs and a dairy calf.

Although focused on agriculture, the program also encompasses lessons that help children practice skills in math, science, and writing. For example, one activity involved learning about feed rations by creating a snack mix with varied cereals and Skittles while studying fats, proteins, sugars, and vitamins within the mix.

“The kids are learning about nutrition,” said Brushwood. “They’re learning math because they have to add all of the grams together. But then they’re also learning that our livestock eat different things.”

Stone added: “They get to learn that you have to have some of that healthy stuff and a little bit of sweet stuff in your nutrition. The same goes for pigs and cattle.”

Brushwood noted that she was inspired to pursue a career in agriculture education due to her own experiences as a youth. Now gaining profession-based experiences at Northwest helps her further develop her skills while inspiring another generation.

“It’s very important that kids know where their food comes from,” said Brushwood. “I grew up in St. Louis area without any idea about anything agricultural-related until I moved to a rural area.”

The students hope that beyond learning about agriculture; children also gain fun summer memories and new friends by attending the camp.

“I just hope that they see it’s interesting,” said Hunerdosse. “Some say ‘I want to be a vet’ or ‘I want to farm like my dad.’ That’s passion for industry we’re trying to cultivate.”