“That was the best pumpkin pie ever,” said Weeks Elementary 2nd grader Brody Law.

“And you didn’t even need to use an oven, right?” said Sarah Atwood, Ag in the Classroom Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension. 

 

“Right,” said Law. 

 

 

Pumpkin pie in a bag. No oven. Just vanilla pudding, milk, pumpkin & graham cracker. Oh, and a bag. But, this lesson was more than about making a tasty treat. 

“We tell them about the different farms. Pumpkin farms, my farm, they’re all different, and it pulls together all of these careers in agriculture,” said Atwood. 

The pumpkin lesson in Mrs. Crisanti’s class was the first of three trips Atwood will take to 2nd grade classes in Windsor this school year. She’ll have a gingerbread playdough lesson in December, and a veggies and Valentine class in February.

In the coming years, the students who keep their interest in ag will take classes in middle school and high school such as Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, Veterinary Science, Environmental Science, and Welding Technology. But, for this day, learning about where a new favorite dessert came from was enough.  

 

 

“We’re exposing kids to different forms of agriculture and farms, and preparing them for the middle school and high school ag programs in Windsor,” said Atwood.