'Chocolate milk doesn't come from brown cows': P.E.I. students learn about agriculture
Stephanie Brown | CBC News | Posted: March 14, 2017 10:44 PM | Last Updated: March 14, 2017
'So many people are disconnected from farms, they don't realize where the food comes from'
About 50 Grade 3 students at Queen Elizabeth Elementary in Kensington, P.E.I., were treated to a breakfast Tuesday that was produced entirely on the Island, including bacon, sausages, eggs, apples and milk.
The students won the breakfast as part of PEI's Agriculture in the Classroom and the Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month program, which this year expanded from a week to a month.
"So many people are disconnected from farms, they don't realize where the food comes from," said Marc Schurman of Atlantic Grown Organics, who talked to the students about growing vegetables.
Learning opportunity
The students heard presentations about P.E.I. agriculture, learning about different types of farming.
Eight-year-old Daniel Walsh has a vegetable garden at home, but said he learned something new at the event.
"I learned chocolate milk doesn't come from brown cows," he smiled.
'Their food is right here'
Some of the students were also surprised to learn Schurman's greenhouse, just down the road, grows tomatoes in winter and is about twice the size of their school.
Schurman hopes students will go home and talk to their parents about where their food comes from.
"Educating children early is definitely a great way to have them realize that their food is right here if they make the effort to find it," he said.
Three winning schools
Students were read the book What's Growing Around Us? which was created for this program and teaches kids about farming on P.E.I., and each got a copy of the book to take home.
The students were the second winning group to have the breakfast. The first was Sherwood Elementary, and Cardigan Consolidated is coming up next.
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