CCFB News» Katrina J.E. Milton, Director of Ag Literacy

Although I don’t have the biggest, sweet tooth, I do enjoy candy every now and again. My favorite candy is chocolate-covered gummy bears.

Candy has become a sweet tradition for many holidays throughout the year: trick-or-treating for Halloween, cakes and cupcakes for birthdays, chocolate bunnies, jellybeans, and Peeps for Easter, and candy canes for Christmas. To learn more about how chocolate became a Valentine’s Day tradition, read this month’s Ag Adventure page.

I was recently asked, “Why the 4th grade?” for our Ag in the Classroom (AITC) program.The question came from Mike Orso, of Illinois Farm Bureau’s “Partners” podcast. The podcast – my first ever audio-recorded interview – can be heard online at www.ilfb.org/PartnersPodcast. Most AITC programs focus on fourth grade because agriculture matches a lot of the Common Core Standards for the grade, including science, geography, social science, math, English language arts, and more.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: and one of the most agricultural, as well! Almost every winter holiday tradition has roots in agriculture.

One of my favorite memories of school was when we had the Star Lab visit. The large inflatable gray dome looked like an out-of-place igloo as it took up half of our elementary school gymnasium. Every class was given a one-hour presentation inside the Star Lab. The students crawled inside the small tunnel to sit inside the dome, where a projection of the night sky was cast overhead. We learned about constellations and our solar system during the middle of the day, without having to step foot outside. I loved the mythological stories of the constellations: Queen Cassiopeia hanging upside down in her chair, the belt of the hunter Orion, Cancer the crab that attacked Hercules, and the big bear Ursa Major and small bear Ursa Minor.

On September 13, I traveled to Bloomington to the Illinois Farm Bureau to meet with other new county ag literacy coordinators from throughout the state. The new coordinators hold the same job title as me, but our jobs couldn’t be more different.

Happy Pumpkin Spice Latte Season! Although spring is my favorite season, fall is a close second. Fall is special because there’s change in the air: the leaves start to change colors, the temperature starts getting cooler, and harvest is underway.

August has always been my favorite month. Not only is it the month of my birthday (August 2), it is the start of my favorite time of year: the school year.