Grains on the Go classroom experience

By Emma Weizenbluth, Grains Educator

September 2024 marked the start of a new school year and the beginning of another Grains on the Go season.  I got to hit the ground running with a busy start connecting with the students at the Western Fair in London, Ridgetown Harvest Days at the University of Guelph, Ridgetown campus, the International Plowing Match in Lindsay, as well as the Royal Winter Agricultural Fair in Toronto.  The fall months flew by!

To date, I have had the pleasure of visiting over 20 grade 3 classes, bringing them our In-Class Grains on the Go Experience.  During the visit, the students learn:

• the difference between soil and dirt
• the importance of healthy soils
• some challenges our grain farmers face
• what is fertilizer and manure and, the role they play in enhancing Ontario’s soils
• some of the things our grain farmers are doing to help combat climate change
• five of the soil horizons (O horizon, A horizon, B horizon, C horizon, R horizon)

At the end of the session, students are guided through the creation of a delicious – and edible! – soil profile, where they demonstrate their understanding of the basic characteristics of the five horizons by identifying what food item best represents which layer.

I have also gotten to visit schools with our wonderful Grains on the Go trailer.  Classes who explore the trailer do so via a scavenger hunt where they search for answers to five questions, learning about the nutrients in our grains, how our grains are grown, the environment and – of course – they get an exciting, 360° view of what it is like to sit in a combine while it’s harvesting soybeans.

While the spring has already been booked up for school visits, our calendar will officially open for bookings for the 2025-2026 school year very soon.  Keep an eye on our website for when we open for bookings in fall 2025 by signing up for our newsletter.