Other provinces will take different approaches. Ontario Agri-Food Education doesn’t have the same kind of volunteer base among farmers so they’ve arranged for newly graduated teachers, not yet in teaching jobs, to visit classrooms, said Jan Robertson, marketing and communications manager for OAFE. They’ll be bringing books as well, but also a game called Agri-Trekking Across Ontario to teach about different types of production throughout the province.
Uptake by schools has exceeded their highest expectations, Ross said.
“We want (students) to get curious about it, and see agriculture as something beyond the farm, and the role they can play in giving back to agriculture as consumers,” she said.
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Organizers said they hope the event spurs Canadian writers to create agriculturally themed books for children. Many provinces have gone with U.S. titles because they couldn’t find Canadian ones, said Ross, noting many U.S. books focus on types of production not used north of the border.
“It’s just not on writers’ radar screens,” said Ross. “We really need Canadian books about agriculture and we’re hoping maybe this week will start to build on that.”
Farmers will read two specially selected books in Manitoba classrooms, for example: Where Beef Comes From, by Saskatchewan producer Sherri Grant, and Seed Soil Sun – Earth’s Recipe For Food, by American writer Cris Peterson.
Ontario’s titles include Alfalfabet A-Z, The Wonderful Words from Agriculture by B.C. author Carol Watterson and How Did That Get in My Lunch Box? The Story of Food by U.S. writer Chris Butterworth.
Sherri Grant’s book is also on their list for Saskatchewan, said Perkins. So is another by Cris Peterson entitled Fantastic Farm Machines. They’re also reading Farm by Elisha Cooper, a U.S. author who writes about growing corn in the Midwest.
“As consumers, our personal connection with agriculture can affect our food product selection,” Ross said in a release Wednesday. “Knowledge of local farm communities positively impacts public support for a viable agricultural sector in our province.”
All books read in the classrooms will be donated to the schools.
February is designated I Love to Read Month across North America, promoting early childhood interest in reading and highlighting the importance of literacy skills.
— Lorraine Stevenson is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator at Carman, Man. The full version of this article appears in the Co-operator, Feb. 23, 2012, starting on page 1.
