Sunday, November 4, 2007
8-7

Agronomy Club Makes a Plant Path and More.

Jenny Campbell, Purdue University-Agronomy Club, 205 N. Russell St, West Lafayette, IN 47906

Each spring families and students from Indiana and the surrounding states visit the Purdue campus to participate in Spring Fest activities. The Agronomy Club plays an important role in Spring Fest by creating learning environments to enhance children’s knowledge of crop, soil and environmental sciences. Every year members of the Agronomy Club produce educational posters, demonstrations and exhibits, some that can stand alone and others that need to be manned that promote and explain the broad expanses of agronomy. Agronomy students volunteer at the various stations providing one on one guidance and information through the various demonstrations and activities. Children and adults move through a maze, Plant Path, while learning how crops from the farm; corn, soybeans, forage and small grains become products they eat or use every day. They learn about essential nutrients for man and plants and how plants are utilized by man and animals not just as food but bedding and playing fields. While maneuvering the maze, they learn about genetics, comparing physical traits within their families. There are interactive stations throughout the tent where participants can shell and grind field corn to take home to their squirrels and birds. They use potatoes to stamp and paint and they see the rain and other factors needed to grow plants. Kids have fun digging through corn to find puzzle pieces to assemble a farmstead or the soybeans to find the worm. Club members start the engines of their antique farm equipment which strikes discussions from all ages. All of these stations are managed by Agronomy Club members who volunteer to help. The interactive learning style from our cooperative efforts help children of all ages learn the importance of agriculture and value the vital part that agronomy plays in the environment, industry, and urban areas.

 


Back to National Student Club Poster Contest
Back to Z00 Students of Agronomy, Soils and Environmental Sciences (SASES)

Back to The ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meetings (November 4-8, 2007)