NEW YORK

State Contact: Ms. Heather Davis Cornell University Department of Education 106 Kennedy Hall Ithaca NY 14853-4203

P: (607) 255-9252 F: (607) 255-7905 E: hed24@cornell.edu Website

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Classroom Resources
Science of Life Explorations (SOLE) Lesson Library
Agriculture Literacy Day 2008 Lesson - Exploring Maple Syrup

Major Program Accomplishments
Seven new teacher mini grants were awarded to establish school food gardens through the Kids Growing Food program, including Ag Tech Prep high school/elementary partnership gardens. Seven new teacher Bluebird mini grants were also awarded to meet curriculum needs in the area of natural resources. The grant program for an animal science education program The Pigeon Project, is being piloted by teachers throughout the state. The pilot teachers are developing lessons that will be used to create a full curriculum for the program.

New York State held its second annual Ag Literacy Day event in 2007. This year's project touched the lives of over 45,000 second grade students across New York State with over 300 volunteer readers in over 1,200 classrooms in over 500 elementary schools. We are planning to conduct our third annual Ag Literacy Day this year with the hopes of expanding the program. We also conducted the annual Be Aware of Agriculture contest partnered with the New York State Farm Bureau Foundation for Education, which provided agriculture literacy and awareness to over 500 students within the state. Other partnered educational events with NY Farm Bureau Foundation for Education, CCE Educators, Ag Educators, and others to promote and distribute 100 History of American Agriculture CDs.

All 32 lessons for the SOLE Lesson Library have been completed, and we are now working on developing the instruction plans for each of these lesson.

Workshops for teachers, extension educators, and volunteers were offered at several different venues, including Farm Bureau spring conference, Cooperative Extension and Agricultural Educators professional development conferences, and On the Farm Discovery Center summer teacher conference. Kids Growing Food school garden regional workshops are offered each spring for teachers.

Major Program Impacts
331 grants have been awarded since 1998 to start and develop school food gardens through the NY Ag in the Classroom Kids Growing Food program. Survey data indicates that the gardens impacted well over 65,000 students, teachers, and community members in 2007 by: creating opportunities to make links to agriculture, food systems, and good nutrition; increasing student motivation; providing opportunities for peer teaching; teaching life skills; integrating garden-based learning into the core curriculum; and involving the community in the gardens. Kids Growing Food has expanded to New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington DC.