For most of the kids in the gym at Caswell Community School in Saskatoon, being part of an assembly is a new experience. The same goes for learning about the types of food grown in Saskatchewan.
“There’s just such a big disconnect today in where food comes from,” said Paige Pister, program coordinator with Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan.
“Kids don’t know where their food comes from. They think it just comes from the grocery store.”
It’s what inspired Farm and Food Safe Saskatchewan and Agriculture in the Classroom Saskatchewan to partner up for Meals from the Farm, a program that helps people learn more about how food is grown in Saskatchewan.
The organizers provided a free meal featuring Saskatchewan-grown food to 1,600 school kids in the province.
“Given the opportunity to have some discussions, especially with students and teachers who are educating our youth, (it) just gives them the opportunity to learn about what we are doing on farms and just props more discussion,” said Clinton Monchuk, executive director of Farm and Food Safe Saskatchewan.
Kids were excited and eager to answer the questions in the agriculture game show the organizers prepared and it didn’t take long for things to get pretty competitive, as Monchuk found himself adding questions with both teams in such a close race.
When the game show was complete, the kids were ready for lunch and given a hot egg sandwich with bacon and cheese along with a carton of milk. They were also given a granola bar and a beef jerky snack — all items from Saskatchewan.
“It’s an opportunity for farmers and ranchers to give back to the community,” Monchuk said.
“I think it’s something where we can also offer that ability to learn a bit more about where their food is coming from. It checks off a ton of boxes and it makes sure that the kids get a warm meal at lunchtime and learn a bit more about what farmers and ranchers do in this province.”
Along with lunch, students and teachers received a bag with activities, recipes, pencils and snacks from Saskatchewan farmer groups.
There’s also a host of online activities, including courses that give an overview of Saskatchewan’s main agriculture products, a live question and answer with a farmer, cook-along videos, virtual farm tours, and agriculture trivia contests for students to learn more about Saskatchewan food and farming.
“When teachers start to use our resources,” Pister said, “they realize just how easy they are to use. We work with teachers and the ag industry to make sure that they’re very current and informative and they are also very hands-on and fun for the teachers to use.”
It’s the second year for the event in the province. Organizers hope to continue expanding the program.
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