{"id":267,"date":"2020-03-24T11:02:24","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T15:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/?p=267"},"modified":"2020-03-24T11:21:40","modified_gmt":"2020-03-24T15:21:40","slug":"connecting-children-to-stem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/connecting-children-to-stem\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting Children to STEM"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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There are many ways we can incorporate health and nutrition\neducation, environmental education, agricultural awareness, and local food into\nour experiential learning objectives at local schools.  Extension agents\nshare a common interest in connecting Local, Environmental, Agricultural and\nFood (LEAF) experiences to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)\nfor enhancing student education.  This\nLEAF connection is essential to keeping STEM alive and tangible for our younger\ngenerations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This LEAF to STEM analogy is reinforced when you consider the fact\nthat plant stems must have leaves to feed themselves. The leaf of a plant\ncaptures sunlight through a process known as photosynthesis and converts this\nenergy into sugars and carbohydrates that fuel plant growth.  Likewise, children need motivational fuel (in\nthe form of real world experiences) to grow their knowledge and appreciation\nfor the sciences.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It amazes me that we live in a world where many children are not\nencouraged to go outside or play in their own backyard.  I\u2019ve heard teachers say that some children\nhave never put their hands in soil before. \nMany children have never planted or harvested a fruit or vegetable\nbefore.  And many children don\u2019t know\nthat their food comes from a farm.  This\nexplains why many children don\u2019t eat enough fruits and vegetables.  Many studies have shown that children who\nexperience these farm to table connections are more likely to make healthier\nfood choices and increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local<\/strong> experiences are often the best way to\nconnect young people to agriculture, food, and the environment.  We have many wonderful examples in Bartow\nCounty.  You can visit a pick-your-own farm\nor shop at the local farmers market.  Go\nfor an afternoon hike to observe our native forests at Red Top Mountain State\nPark, Pine Log Creek, Pine Mountain, Allatoona Lake, or any of our local city\nand county parks.  Go for a kayak or canoe\nride down the Etowah River and experience this amazing natural resource\n(lifeblood) that flows through our farming communities.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental<\/strong> education is synonymous with our 4-H\nprogram. The Georgia 4-H Environmental Education Program invites your students\nto join the safe haven of Georgia\u2019s outdoor classroom. Our 4-H facilities and\nsummer camps provide opportunities for high-quality day and overnight\neducational experiences. Locations spread out across Georgia include Rock Eagle\n4-H Center, Camp Jekyll, Camp Wahsega, Camp Fortson, Camp Burton, and 4-H\nTidelands Nature Center.  Each location\nis unique and gives young people an opportunity to explore Georgia\u2019s mountains,\npiedmont, or coastal regions.  Our\nresearch-based curriculum correlates to the Georgia Standards of Excellence,\nproviding hands-on learning in the context of the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Agriculture<\/strong> is the largest\nindustry in Georgia.  Agriculture is a\ndriving force for local economies across Georgia and has long shaped the\nstate\u2019s history. Altogether, agricultural commodities directly represent a\nvalue of over $13.76 billion to the Georgia economy. In 2018, food and fiber\nproduction and related industries represented $76 billion in output to Georgia\u2019s\n$1.07 trillion economy and more than 399,200 jobs in the economy.  Not every kid will grow up to be a\nfarmer.  However, they are highly likely\nto end up in a job that supports an agricultural related industry somewhere along\nthe food and fiber supply chain.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food<\/strong> science and\nnutrition education should happen every time a child sits down for a meal.  You can incorporate local foods from a\nbackyard vegetable garden, local farmers market, or pick-your-own farm.  Children should be encouraged to help with washing,\ncooking, and preparing food for the family meal.  It\u2019s important for adults to model healthy,\nnutritious food choices\u2014children usually learn their eating habits from their\nparents.  Call the County Extension\noffice or visit foodtalk.org if you want to attend one of our Food Talk Classes\nand learn how to keep your family healthy by making nutritious food choices on\na budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul Pugliese is the Extension Coordinator and Agricultural & Natural Resources Agent for Bartow County Cooperative Extension, a partnership of The University of Georgia, The U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Bartow County.  For more information and free farm, lawn, or garden publications, call (770) 387-5142 or visit our local website at <\/em><\/strong>ugaextension.org\/bartow<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many ways we can incorporate health and nutrition education, environmental education, agricultural awareness, and local food into our experiential learning objectives at local schools.  Extension agents share a common interest in connecting Local, Environmental, Agricultural and Food (LEAF) experiences to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) for enhancing student education.  This LEAF connection […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":290,"featured_media":269,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,1,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-childrens-gardens","category-uncategorized","category-vegetable-gardens"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/290"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":289,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267\/revisions\/289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/bartow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}