Open AccessKids Growing with Grains: Connecting Agriculture, Nutrition, and Environmental Literacy
Author(s) -
Rachel Bayer,
Ashley Travis,
Chenzi Wang
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of youth development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.191
H-Index - 3
eISSN - 2325-4017
pISSN - 2325-4009
DOI - 10.5195/jyd.2020.964
Subject(s) - agriculture , focus group , variety (cybernetics) , formal education , literacy , medical education , nutrition education , qualitative research , psychology , business , geography , marketing , sociology , pedagogy , computer science , gerontology , medicine , social science , archaeology , artificial intelligence
Kids Growing with Grains is a school-based agricultural education program that improves youths’ conceptual understanding of how agriculture is linked to nutrition, the environment, and human health. University of Maryland Extension Educators developed the program’s hands-on activities, which focus on grain science, grains and the environment, grains and animals, and grain nutrition. The program is traditionally implemented through a station-based field trip experience lasting 4 hours in length. The program has been evaluated using a mixed-methods approach that includes qualitative and quantitative data collected from both teachers and students. Evaluation results from the past 2 years indicate the program is achieving its learning objectives. The program is designed to be easily replicated by other Extension programs throughout the country in a variety of formal or non-formal settings.