Ag in Classroom activities planned
The Union County Ag in the Classroom program is planning to host an open house for teachers on Thursday, Aug. 11.
The open house is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Union County Farm Bureau office, which is located at 104 W. Broad St. in Jonesboro.
The event will be held in the basement event space and is open to all teachers from Union County who teach in the county and outside of the county, in pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 classrooms.
Free materials and lesson plans, posters and other classroom resources will be available for teachers to take.
Abbie Stegle, ag literacy coordinator and Union County Farm Bureau staff member, plans to be at the open house.
Stegle will be able to schedule classroom visits for the year. She also will be able to discuss programs and projects that are available to enhance classroom learning with a focus on agriculture.
There will be information about classroom grants from Illinois Ag in the Classroom and some special opportunities for teachers interested in adding a hydroponic garden in their classroom, which is a special project at Union County Farm Bureau made possible by American Farm Bureau Federation.
The open house will be a “come and go” event, with door prizes and refreshments.
Organizers said that while an RSVP is not required, it would be appreciated for planning purposes.
More information is available by contacting Stegle by email at aglitcoordinator@gmail.com or by phone at 573-837-2122.
Book, Project Grants
The Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom program is offering special topic book grants of up to $250 to preschool through high school teachers across the state.
The program also is offering grants of up to $300 to preschool through high school teachers throughout the State of Illinois to fund projects promoting agricultural literacy in the classroom.
The application deadline is Friday, Oct. 14. Teachers selected for project funding will be notified by email on Nov. 11.
An application for project funding is available online by going to https://beyondthebarndoor.wordpress.com/ or by contacting the local county Farm Bureau ag literacy coordinator for more information.
Workshop Planned
Teachers are invited to join the Illinois Ag in the Classroom staff as they offer coaching on how to maximize chances at getting approved for 2022-2023 IAITC Book and Project Grants by participating in an upcoming workshop.
Teachers will learn more about the grants, which are available for K-12 teachers in Illinois, receive project ideas and inspirations and learn more about ag-accurate books in this year’s book grant.
Sign up, to be made by Aug. 9, is available at https://ilfb-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V9UtEZyNTo6ZhCLsMuYatw.