AGRICULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM
Are you a local teacher in Will County looking for an opportunity to bring agriculture into your classroom? Sign up for a lesson taught by our Ag Literacy Coordinator or sign up to bring the materials into your classroom to teach yourself!
What is Agriculture in the Classroom?
The Will County Farm Bureau Agriculture in the Classroom program works on behalf of farmers and the agriculture industry to assist teachers in implementing agriculture related topics into their classrooms. Agriculture is related to every human, as it is the reason we eat each and every day. We have a wide variety of topics and materials that relate agriculture to everything from Math to Language Arts.
We are the county program that is apart of Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom. While we strive to help as many teachers as we can, if your school is outside of Will County, we will connect you with your county’s respective Ag in the Classroom Coordinator.
Will County’s Ag in the Classroom program is funded through a grant from the IAA Foundation, fundraisers & contributions from the Will County Farm Bureau, and through donors.
Opportunities Offered
Lessons & Events
Will County Farm Bureau Agriculture in the Classroom offers schools in Will County programs for both classroom visits taught by our Ag Literacy coordinator, or the opportunity for teachers or parents to pick up the materials and teach themselves through our Lesson in a Bucket program. We also offer Summer Day Camps for kids, Ag Expo, and other events to allow kids to become more immersed in agriculture by meeting a farmer or a farm animal! Check out our Programs & Events tab for more information!
Teacher & Parent Resources
For Will County teachers and parents, teaching resources are available for FREE. We have an array of agriculture activities and lessons for every grade level in our office’s Ag in the Classroom Corner! Agriculture topics available span across livestock, crops, conservation, and more, with connections to core curriculum like Language Arts, Math, and Science. Find out more in our Resources tab!
Professional Development
Each summer, professional development is offered to Will County teachers through Summer Ag Institutes. These institutes, either one day or multi-day, offer teachers the chance to be submerged into local agriculture, while obtaining resources to connect these local projects to their classrooms.
Farm Shadowing & Field Trips
While many who live in Will County live in an urban or suburban setting, we are never far from a local farm or food production facility. We can connect schools with local farmers for field trips and include pre and post field trip lesson plans while assisting with other resources for the day of the trip. We also work with local farmers to offer Farm Shadowing opportunities for teens interested in a specific agricultural field! We will match them with a farmer who works in a sector that they have interest in!
Are you a farmer willing to host a field trip or farm shadow? Fill out the Farm Visit Participation Form
Get in Touch
Whether you have a question, an idea, or just would like to introduce yourself, feel free to reach out to our Ag Literacy Coordinator!
Stop into our office and visit our Ag in the Classroom Corner!
