Foundation Connection
Growing Minds From the Ground Up!
May 4, 2020
Farm Camps Canceled
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation board of directors made the difficult decision to cancel all summer 2020 Farm Camps. "While this is tremendously disappointing, the health and safety of campers, parents, farmers and staff is always our number one priority," said Matt Lillpop, Executive Director of the WCFB Foundation.
With no camps, the Agriculture in the Classroom staff and summer interns are working (remotely) to create summer at-home activities. Plans are still being developed and will be shared at a later date. Be sure to look for future FOUNDATION CONNECTION newsletters and posts on the Whiteside County Agriculture in the Classroom Facebook page.
Registration fees that had been paid will be refunded. As the Farm Bureau office is closed until the current May 30 stay-at-home order is lifted, we ask that you please be patient in receiving your refund. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Phelps by calling (815) 772-2165 or whitesidecountyfarmbureau@gmail.com.
Junior Vet University Still Planned
At this time, Junior Vet University (JVU) is still scheduled for Saturday, August 8. JVU is a one-day camp designed to show kids what it's like to be a veterinarian.
JVU will be held at Sauk Valley Community College. Transportation to and from Sauk will be made available for kids coming from the western side of Whiteside County. More details on this will be shared at a later date.
Questions? Contact the Farm Bureau office at whitesidecountyfarmbureau@gmail.com or (815) 772-2165.
WCFB Foundation Supports Local Pandemic Efforts
The Whiteside County Farm Bureau Foundation has donated $2,750 to local food pantries in Albany, Erie, Fulton, Morrison, Prophetstown and Tampico, and the Sauk Valley Foodbank to assist with food purchases.
We also want to recognize the volunteers that stock the shelves and help with distribution. The pictures are from the Erie and Fulton food pantry volunteers and the food pick up at Sauk Valley Food Bank. Thank you!
The need is great. Please consider a personal donation to any of these organizations. No amount is too small.
Foundation Host Virtual Ag Day Contest
Like with many things, activities have been canceled, postponed, rescheduled - you name it. With schools closed our annual Classroom Door Decorating Contest that was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, was canceled. Instead, the Foundation hosted a virtual contest for kids to celebrate National Ag Day!
Kids were to create something to celebrate agriculture. This could have been a thank you to farmers, a picture they drew, a craft they made... anything they could imagine to tell us why they are thankful for farmers and agriculture. Age Categories were: Pre-K, K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and high school.
In total, we had 23 kids participate. Congratulations to the winners!
Pre-K Category: Easton Decker, Ellie Damhoff, and Kenneth Wolf
K-2 Category: Parker Lindskog, Donna Haley, and Lucy Wolf
3-5 Category: Veronica Haley
6-8 Category: Frances Haley
Ag in the Classroom Goes Home
When life as we knew it took an unexpected turn, we wrapped up our fifth (and what turned into our final) Ag in the Classroom lesson of the school year. Our thanks to the 1,380 students and their teachers who regularly welcomed Ag in the Classroom into their class this year in communities across Whiteside County!
2020 is certainly going to be a year that we all remember. Whiteside County Ag in the Classroom will remember it as the year that we left the school buildings in March and went home with the kids virtually. This spring has been a big shift for kids, parents, teachers and even Ag in the Classroom staff across the state. We hope you’ll join us as we’ve moved our “classroom” online so that kids can still engage in hands-on activities to learn about Midwest agriculture.
Whiteside County Ag in the Classroom assembled and distributed nearly 800 Ag Bags for elementary students in early April. These bags included things like corn and soybean seeds to plant, cornstarch to make corn putty, basic supplies for making a hog building and commodity cards. There were instructions for families to complete a variety of activities at home. We’ve supplemented the Ag Bag with short video clips on our local Facebook page to show families how to complete the activities and to expand our reach beyond just those who received Ag Bags. We’ve had several families follow up with pictures of their kids in action.
Follow us on Facebook at “Whiteside County Agriculture in the Classroom” to see what new ideas and activities we add in the coming weeks. We’re featuring videos and photos from local farmers along with ideas to inspire kids to keep learning about agriculture.
Illinois Ag in the Classroom has been quickly developing some great resources that they are sharing online. They post twice each weekday on their Facebook page “Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom” and the full content is also on their blog at: https://beyondthebarndoor.wordpress.com. There you will find:
- "Everyday Agriculture” which focuses on a different topic each day and includes several different hands-on activities you can do at home to teach kids of various ages about agriculture
- "Grow With Us” is a video lesson series featuring farm production here in Illinois
- "Right This Very Minute” is a very short video posted from a different farm somewhere in Illinois every day – featuring what is happening at that very moment
And, if you missed it in April, Illinois Ag in the Classroom had a video series on “Eggs in the Classroom” which followed along as one of our staff members incubated and hatched eggs. You can still find it at the “Beyond the Barn Door” blog.
We’re living in uncertain times right now, but we are still certain that kids need to learn about the importance of agriculture for their food, fiber and fuel. Join us as we navigate new ways to inspire learning and a love for agriculture.
AITC Goes Home
Happy 50th Earth Day!
Virtual Tours
Growing Minds From the Ground Up!
Agriculture in the Classroom: aitcwhiteside@gmail.com
WCFB Foundation: foundation.wcfb@gmail.com
Email: whitesidecountyfarmbureau@gmail.com
Website: www.wcfbfoundation.org
Location: 100 East Knox Street, Morrison, IL, USA
Phone: (815) 772-2165
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitesidecountyfarmbureau/