Tag: PDCHs

Ag History Bus Tour

Explore McLean County’s agricultural roots with a morning bus tour lead by local ag historian, Don Meyer, Sat., June 24. Teachers can earn 4 PDCHs courtesy of University of Illinois Extension Livingston-McLean-Woodford Unit.

Tour participants should meet at the McLean County Farm Bureau building at 8 a.m. and the trip will conclude at about 12:30 p.m.

The cost for McLean County Farm Bureau members is $25 per person and non-members is $35 per person. Breakfast pastries and coffee will be available at 7:45 a.m. Bottled water will be available on the bus.

The narrated tour will primarily be on the bus, with one or two brief stops and minimal walking.

The tour will feature sites in southwestern McLean County in and around Stanford, Danvers, McLean and Funk’s Grove including:

  • A tile factory site
  • Cracker Jack crib
  • Moore’s Mill
  • Ghost Towns
  • Funk’s Grove church & cemetery & much more!

A minimum of 30 participants must be registered by June 15 for the tour to be held.

Click here to register

Local Ag History Bus Tour

Explore McLean County’s agricultural roots with a morning bus tour lead by local ag historian, Don Meyer, Sat., June 24. Teachers can earn 4 PDCHs courtesy of University of Illinois Extension Livingston-McLean-Woodford Unit.

Tour participants should meet at the McLean County Farm Bureau building at 8 a.m. and the trip will conclude at about 12:30 p.m.

The cost for McLean County Farm Bureau members is $25 per person and non-members is $35 per person. Breakfast pastries and coffee will be available at 7:45 a.m. Bottled water will be available on the bus.

The narrated tour will primarily be on the bus, with one or two brief stops and minimal walking.

The tour will feature sites in southwestern McLean County in and around Stanford, Danvers, McLean and Funk’s Grove including:

  • A tile factory site
  • Cracker Jack crib
  • Moore’s Mill
  • Ghost Towns
  • Funk’s Grove church & cemetery & much more!

A minimum of 30 participants must be registered by June 15 for the tour to be held.

Click here to register

Summer AITC Workshop

Join us May 30 – June 2 for for days of field trips, hands-on activities & FREE STEM resources for your classroom at our 2023 Summer Ag in the Classroom Workshop!

Cost is $50/teacher & includes snacks, some lunches & 30 PDCHs.

2 Graduate Credit hours available through University of St. Francis (optional/additional $200 fee)

Course #REAL 694 Agriscience Educator Institute

Registration deadline May 15, 2023

Click here to register

2023 Summer Teacher Workshop

Join us May 30 – June 2 for our 2023 Summer AITC Workshop for Teachers!

  • 4 Days of field trips, tours, hands on lesson ideas & FREE STEM resources
  • Geared for pre-K to grade 12 educators
  • Earn 30 PDCHs (professional development clock hours), plus 2 graduate level college credit hours available (optional/additional fee)
  • Take home lesson ideas, materials & grant opportunities for use in your classroom next year!

Cost is $50 for the workshop.

Tuition for 2 hours of Graduate Credit from St. Francis University is $200

(Course #REAL 694 R Agriscience Educator Institute)

Instructors: Bridget Caldwell, retired Unit 5 educator & past McLean County Ag in the Classroom Coordinator & Katie Buckley, University of Illinois Extension

Please note: Teachers will be responsible for their own transportation to field trip/tour locations, you can arrange your own carpool if desired

Registration deadline May 15, 2023

Click here to register

Teachers Explore Fields of Opportunity

Fifteen local teachers had the chance to explore “Fields of Opportunity” with a focus on agricultural careers at the2021 Summer Ag in the Classroom Workshop held in early June.

“Agriculture offers more than 300 career fields,” says Bridget Caldwell, McLean County Ag in the Classroom coordinator. “We want to provide teachers with experiences and resources to connect agriculture to the subjects they teach.”

Tours and hands-on experiences offered ways for teachers to incorporate food and farming with science, technology, engineering, math and literature learning standards.

Participants toured a variety of farms and ag-related businesses including Dean’s Bacon & Beef, 4 Peanuts Produce, O’Rourke Family Gardens, Epiphany Farms, der Bauernhof Farms, Illinois State University Research Farm, Finding Eminence Farm, King Farms, Illinois State University Horticulture Center, Fell Arboretum, Yuton Elevator and Rader Family Farms.

Teachers also had the chance to drive a tractor or combine courtesy of Birkey’s Farm Store.

The workshop provided teachers with professional development credit hours and the option to earn two hours of graduate level credit through University of St. Francis.

Katie Buckley, University of Illinois Extension Educator, McLean County helped coordinate
the workshop. To learn more about Extension’s STEAM in the Classroom program, click here.

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