The Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District sponsors a program lasting three days each year (Sept. 13 -15, 2022) that covers various aspects of different conservation- environmental projects. In 2010 there were 18 schools, with approximately 1225 eleven-year-old students.
Our organization wished to contribute by assisting the individual classroom instructors in their science programs. We offered a program that we hoped would further stimulate an interest in the horticultural/life sciences.
. From contact with several teachers, we developed a presentation geared to the student so that the methodology and terminology would be consistent with the students age level, interest, and would enhance the individual teachers’ science program.
Due to the class size variations per session, we utilized a primary instructor with assistants per each session. This allowed us to present the material, have a question and answer period, plus a hands-on opportunity with the individual students. To obtain and hold the students immediate interest, a Beanie Baby bee and large sunflower seed head were used to demonstrate pollination using flour as pollen. Examples of other types of pollination such as wind, butterflies, hummingbirds and other insects were discussed and illustrated.
Five gallon buckets were utilized to conceal different vegetable types and students were asked to identify the vegetable and tell how it might get pollinated.