California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC)

Today is #NationalBlueberryPie Day! Did you know that blueberries are found in more than 4,000 different products? #LearnAboutAgatHome using our Blueberry Ag-Bite to get nutritious with blueberries and explore the nutritional benefits blueberries offer! https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//national-bluebe/ California Blueberry Commission California Grown

Agriculture in the Classroom is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating youth throughout California about the importance of agriculture in their daily lives! We do this through a variety of resources and events throughout the year. Big Day of Giving is in 9 days! Consider scheduling a donation today! #BDOG2021 https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/LearnAboutAg

Have you watched our virtual National Agriculture Week Gala with a food and wine paring featuring Mulvaney's Building & Loan and Silt Wine Company? It is available on our website and this is the last week to purchase the AITC Wine Flight to follow along! Silt Wine Company is donating 20% of the proceeds from this wine flight to Ag in the Classroom through April 30! https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//have-you-watche/... https://youtu.be/icSam2rk2rw

Are you looking for a resource to #LearnAboutAgatHome on #earthday2021? Join us live at 1 pm to learn how much land is used to grow food for the world’s population using our Orange You Glad We Have Farmland resource! Raley's California Farmland Trust

Agriculture à la carte Your Weekly Ag Update: REAL CALIFORNIA MILK and HealthyEating.Org have partnered with dairy farmers and processors to help schools in CA keep milk cold. Schools in the central and southern regions are participating in a pilot program with insulated milk cooler bags to keep milk a part of the school meal service. As drive-thru meal service in many schools districts is is continuing and as the weather warms, the challenge becomes keeping milk cold. The...se custom portable cooler bags are easily moved and stored, making them ideal for in-classroom, drive-thru and outdoor meal service. Read more in this press release from the California Milk Advisory Board. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//agriculture-a-l/

Today is #NationalKindergartenDay! Celebrate with one of our favorite resources, A Garden Plot: The Tale of Peter Rabbit. This unit uses stories written by Beatrix Potter to help students #LearnAboutAgatHome while teaching reading, writing, and science concepts and introducing students to where their food comes from. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//national-kinder/

Have you seen the 2021 Imagine this Stories Inspired by Agriculture book? This year’s book is full of creativity with stories ranging from avocados and cauliflower pizza to basil and bell peppers! The book can be ordered on our website and we recognized the state winning student authors during virtual ceremonies a few weeks ago! The ceremonies can be viewed on the #LearnAboutAgatHome Blog! We are so proud of the student authors and the high school illustrators who brought th...e stories to life! https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//2021-imagine-th/

#DYK #California is the sole producer (99% or more) of #artichokes grown commercially in the United States? It doesn't stop there. Almonds, olives, Clingstone p...eaches, celery, pistachios, figs, plums, garlic, dried plums, raisin grapes, sweet rice, kiwifruit, Ladino clover seed, honeydew, and walnuts are all exclusively grown in California! California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC) has developed over 40 "Agriculture Fact and Activity Sheets." These sheets are printable, cover many agricultural commodities, and include fun facts and supporting classroom activities. https://learnaboutag.org/resources/fact/ Why does California produce so many diverse food crops? Can they be grown in other states? Why or why not? This is an excellent topic in #agliteracy to understand how #climate and #geography impact agriculture. These lessons on the Curriculum Matrix will help your students explore climate and geography from the perspective of their food: https://agclassroom.org/matrix/search_result/ #agriculturalgeography #AITCprogramspotlight #agfact

Agriculture à la carte Your Weekly Ag Update: As school cafeterias and restaurants throughout California begin to reopen, farmers are continuing to adapt to changes in demand. Many of their sales abruptly halted due to the pandemic and farmers had to change their planting decisions and shift to other options of distribution. Farmers are now deciding how strong these markets will be and how to stay flexible to meet the demand. Read more in this article from Ag Alert. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//agriculture-a-l/

#FunFactFriday Did you know that April is #NationalGardeningMonth? It is one of our favorite months of the year! Check out our School Gardens Page on our website for activities and resources to incorporate gardens into your curriculum. From WE Garden Activities to Creating and Sustaining your School Gardens, there are resources for all stages of school gardens. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//national-garden/

Photosynthesis #LearnAboutAgatHome Lab!

Join us live today at 1:30 with a #LearnABoutAgatHome Lab to see Photosynthesis in Action!

Today is #NationalGardeningDay! Celebrate by having students make their own Garden in a Glove! Using plastic gloves, cotton balls and seeds, students will be able to see the germination process and #LearnAboutAgatHome! We also have a video of this activity in Spanish! https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//national-garden/

Carrie Boyce, a first grade teacher in Sonoma County is our April Teacher Feature in our Cream of the Crop Newsletter! My favorite resource is the Literacy for Life grant that I received this year. It provides teachers with flexibility to add agriculture into their curriculum. The $500 helps provide supplies, field trips, pretty much any of the materials you will need to make your lessons happen. Learn more about Carrie and how she incorporates agriculture in her classroom ...in her Teacher Feature! https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//april-teacher-f/

Agriculture à la carte Your Weekly Ag Update: Pollinators play an important role in agriculture. The California Department of Food and Agriculture recently teamed up with organizations from throughout California’s agricultural and environmental industries to develop the California Pollinator Coalition to focus on their shared commitment to the health of wild and managed pollinators. To learn more about the California Pollinators Coalition, visit CDFA’s Planting Seeds Blog.... To #LearnAboutAgatHome and explore pollinators, check out our Prolific Pollinators page to learn how our food gets pollinated. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//agriculture-a-l/ CDFA Almond Board of California California State Beekeepers Association

#FunFactFriday Did you know that California is the largest producer of flowers and foliage, accounting for almost 80 percent of production in the United States? #LearnAboutAgatHome and explore more about flowers using our Edible Flowers page from our What’s Growin’ On Props to Specialty Crops Edition and celebrate spring by Freezin’ Flowers to add some pizazz to your ice cubes! https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//fun-fact-friday/... California Grown Flowers Flora Fresh Inc.

Avocado Taste and Teach! Raley's Stater Bros. Markets HealthyEating.Org California Avocados Mission Produce

Join us live at 9:30 to explore Avocados, April’s #TasteandTeach Commodity of the month! Stater Bros. Markets Raley's

Pumpkin Planters! National Agriculture in the Classroom

Pumpkins are not just for Halloween! Join us live at 10am for a few activities using pumpkins to #LearnAboutAgatHome!

Parents, teachers, colleagues, and other supporters can nominate their favorite agriculture teacher and share what makes them the best in the state for a chance to win the Golden Owl Award. In partnership with California FFA and the California Farm Bureau Federation, Nationwide introduced this program to California in 2019. Finalists will receive $500 and an engraved plaque. One grand prize winner will receive $3000. Learn more and nominate an agriculture teacher today! Deadline is December 31, 2020. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//golden-owl-award/ California Farm Bureau Federation California FFA

Are your Halloween pumpkins starting to decompose? #LearnAboutAgatHome using The Case of the Missing Pumpkin from the National Agriculture in the Classroom Curriculum Matrix. The lesson includes the time-lapse video below showing the decomposition of a pumpkin and students can investigate what is causing the pumpkin to change. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//the-case-of-the/

#LearnAboutAgatHome using our WE Garden Eat Your Plants ag-tivity. Students will learn that the fruits and vegetables we eat are all a part of a plant and will explore the plant parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds) and what they contribute to a healthy diet. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//03/eat-your-pla/

Agriculture à la carte Your Weekly Ag Update: Have you ever wondered how daylight savings time effects farmers? #LearnAboutAgatHome and explore the link between daylight saving time and farming in this article from 2017 (while a few years old, the info is still great)! https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//agriculture-a-l/

Join Ag in the Classroom Board Member Shannon Douglass and her son (the youngest farmer in the family!) to #LearnAboutAgatHome featuring pumpkins LIVE on her ranch at 10am! Photo Credit: Steven Beckley

#LearnAboutAgatHome and explore why cattle brands are important to ranchers by using our Ag-Bite Cowboy Brands. Students will explore different shapes used to make brands and then will make their own in this ag-tivity! https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//cowboy-brands-a/ California Beef Council California Cattlemen's Association California Cattle Council California CattleWomen

FFA teachers and students- we hope you enjoy the virtual National FFA Convention! Be sure to check out the Journey 2050 teacher and student workshop and share them with your friends and fellow teachers! #LearnAboutAgatHome

#LearnAboutAgatHome and check out the #BookSpotlight below exploring one of history’s most successful potato farmers!

Agriculture à la carte Your Weekly Ag Update: Urban, indoor, and vertical farms may provide a look into the future of farming. Plenty, a San Francisco based company, is turning warehouses in to hydroponic vertical growing systems for fruits and vegetables. Read more in an article shared on CFDA’s Planting Seeds Blog. https://learnaboutagathome.wordpress.com//agriculture-a-l/