Opportunity Roundup

Opportunity Roundup

I’m cleaning out my e-mail box when I really should be cleaning out my garage. Here are a few things I’ve saved that are related to outdoor education in some way.

  • The University Press of Kansas wrote to say University of Pennsylvania’s Matthew D. Roth has a new book out called “Magic Bean, The Rise of Soy in America.” The 368-page book on soybean production throughout the 20th century is available in paperback or hardback.
  • The National Agriculture in the Classroom people e-mailed to say the national conference in Maine is sold out, but plans have already started for the 2019 summer conference in Little Rock, Arkansas. That conference, called “AgVenture in the Natural State” will run from June 18 through 21. In addition to workshops aligned with academic standards, NAITCO will offer tours of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and the headquarters of Heifer International, the non-profit organization working to eliminate global hunger and poverty. Conference planners are looking for workshop proposals. The online system to accept the proposals will open in July. Check out the NAITCO website for details. Early October is the deadline for submissions. Conference registration will begin in mid-January.
  • Want to join the National Agriculture in the Classroom? Memberships are $25 for teachers and volunteers and $10 for students. To register, click here.
  • Looking for some puzzlers with an agricultural bent for students in grades 5-8? The American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture has created the Purple Plow Puzzlers, aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.
  • The National Agriculture in the Classroom recommends a new picture book, John Deere, That’s Who, about the invention of the steel plow. The author is Tracy Nelson Maurer; illustrated by Tim Zeltner. The NAITCO has lesson plans for K-2 teachers on its website.
  • The California Museum in Sacramento reports that its new exhibit, “California at Bat: America’s Pastime in the Golden State,” opens July 29. Baseball fans have until Dec. 30 to take a peek at “200 rarely-seen photographs and artifacts on loan from private collectors, including uniforms and equipment used by Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Rickey Henderson, and many more.”
  • The Nutrients for Life Foundation is offering free teacher resources, and an opportunity to be an ambassador for the foundation.
  • Registration is now open for the California Ag in the Classroom conference. This year it’s in Palm Springs Sept. 27-29. Planners are still looking for people who want to lead a “make-n-take” activity and exhibitors.
  • The Collective School Garden Network maintains a list of grants for school gardens.
  • The Yolo County Farm Bureau is hosting its 2018 Teacher Almond Day 8 and 15. Continuing education credit is available. Participants get to meet with farmers and almond industry experts and will receive classroom resources.
  • Farm Academy Live is just one of the many fantastic opportunities for teacher and their students the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom lists in its June newsletter, which is e-mailed to anyone who signs up for it through the website. While on the website, check out all the resources. The foundation also maintains a list of school garden/project grants.
  • The Sacramento Public Library has lots of kid-friendly and family activities scheduled to kick off summer reading.
  • Families for Early Autism Treatment offers support, programs, and activities for kids with autism and their families.
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