Wheat Week Educates Fourth and Fifth Graders

Wheat Week Educates 4th and 5th Graders

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report after this.

For the past five years, the Wheat Week educational program has brought wheat into Washington fourth and fifth grade classrooms to.

Kara Kaelber, Education and Outreach Specialist for the Franklin Conservation District, shares more about the exciting hands-on program.

Kaelber: “We teach kids science lessons using wheat as the teaching tool. So we teach about the water cycle, we teach about soil, we teach about the watersheds and energy, and systems. Throughout the week we are with students and the five lessons that we do, we integrate wheat throughout each lessons. And the end of the week, the students are asked to fill out a thank wheat farmer postcard so they can turnaround and thank the industry that is supporting this educational opportunity for them. I in turn send those postcards to wheat farmers. I send them to all county wheat grower presidents who can distribute these at their meetings to really put those in the hands of the guys who are growing the wheat and feeding the world.”

The program reached nearly 4,000 students across the state last school year -- which was the first year the program had a Wheat Week educator on the westside of the Cascade mountains. The program continues to grow each year.

This successful program is sponsored in part by the Washington Grain Commission, Washington State Conservation Commission, Washington Wheat Foundation, CLD Pacific Grain and Tri-State Seed as well as many county conservation districts.

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.