One of the funnest education conferences ever comes to Sacramento this week.
The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom’s state conference starts Thursday at the Holiday Inn in downtown Sacramento. Sacramento is the home of the
Fork to Farm movement, and this conference runs concurrently with the area’s
“Farm Tank Summit.” Conference participants will have the option to take part in some of the summit activities as well. CFAITC conference organizers e-mailed me a couple days ago to let me know they still have openings if you’d like to attend.The CAITC is the educational branch of California’s Farm Bureau, which represents the state’s huge agriculture industry. Many of those who attend CFAITC’s conferences are elementary school teachers and school garden coordinators, but the organization offers workshops and curriculum for middle and high school educators as well. Plus, the conferences are just a blast to attend, no matter who you are. I’ve lost count how many I’ve attended. My high school-age daughter has attended twice, once in Santa Cruz and last year aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach. She earned FFA credit in floral design class by assisting me in a workshop for teachers and attending workshops and field trips.
This week’s conference theme is Dig into Ag Education. The cost is $280, which includes all meals, activities, and field trips. A pre-conference tour is available for $75 on Thursday. A reception, included in the conference price, is planned Thursday night while the fast-paced conference kicks into full gear on Friday with workshops in the morning and field trips in the afternoon. Visits to farms in Lodi and the Delta are still open to late registrants. Dinner on Friday is at the Wilson Vineyards in Clarksburg in the Delta. Saturday includes a panel discussion with farmers and make-and-take sessions where teachers can learn up to three Common Core-aligned lessons and create a sample to take home with them. Optional Farm to Fork activities are scheduled for Saturday as well as the Farm Tank Summit.
CFAITC conference registration is online. REGISTER
To take a look at last year’s conference, check out this video.