Area Children Celebrate Farm Day at VGCC

The Civic Center at Vance-Granville Community College’s main campus was filled with young children learning more about food and agriculture on April 24. Students in the Early Childhood Associate program at VGCC set up a “Farm Day” for the first time this year, the goal of which was to introduce young children and their teachers to “Ag in the Classroom,” a statewide service of the North Carolina Farm Bureau.Approximately 400 four-year-olds from day care centers, schools, and Head Start facilities in Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties attended. The children enjoyed a variety of booths, manned by VGCC students in the Curriculum Planning class, who led children in games, songs and stories that focused on farm life and eating. The event was co-sponsored by the Vance County Farm Bureau and the Crane family of Henderson, who provided live animals. Artificial cows that children could take turns “milking” were provided by the Vance County Farm Bureau.Like many of the child care teachers who accompanied the children, Vanette Terry of the Head Start in Henderson is a graduate of VGCC. She completed the Early Childhood program in 2006. “I found Farm Day to be very educational and hands-on for the children,” Terry said. “It also gives the teachers new ideas, and it’s a great opportunity for all the child care centers to come together.”Louise Lamm, director of Ag in the Classroom for the North Carolina Farm Bureau, and Ellen Gould, the AITC curriculum specialist, personally attended and praised the VGCC students and faculty, especially program head Jennifer Johnson, for their efforts to promote the statewide program locally. Lamm said that the exclusive focus on pre-school-age children and the role of community college students made this a unique event.NC Ag in the Classroom (http://www.ncagintheclassroom.com/) is an educational program designed to provide teachers with quality materials to teach students of various ages, through North Carolina competency-based lessons, about the sources of their food and fiber, and the importance of agriculture to the economy. It is part of the national AITC program, which is coordinated by the United States Department of Agriculture. All AITC materials are available at no cost to public and private school classroom teachers throughout the state.VGCC offers programs leading to certificates, diplomas and associate’s degrees in Early Childhood education. For more information, contact Jennifer M. Johnson, the head of the Early Childhood Associate program, at (252) 738-3408.Above: Misty Martin of Roxboro, a student in the VGCC Early Childhood Associate program (right), was one of the students showing children how to milk cows at Vance-Granville Community College’s Farm Day on April 24, using artificial cows provided by the Vance County Farm Bureau. (VGCC Photo)