Press release:
In celebration of National Agricultural Literacy Week, March 16-20, volunteers throughout the state will read a book with an agricultural theme to second-graders. In Genesee County more than 40 volunteers will be visiting and reading at schools throughout the county.
Students and teachers benefit from hands-on lessons and receive follow up activities. The book will be given to the school library with a bookplate recognizing the donor and NY Ag Literacy Week.
This year’s book is "Weaving the Rainbow," written by George Ella Lyon and illustrated by Stephanie Anderson. It is a beautifully blended story of agriculture and art. A young woman raises sheep, shears them for their wool, cleans and cards the wool, spins and dyes the wool, ultimately using it to create beautiful works of woven art from the fiber. The story will help students begin to make the connection between agriculture and its many uses and influences.
The focus this year is on fiber production in New York State from sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, rabbits and more. Agriculture is more than the food we eat, it is also the clothes on our backs, the materials that keep us warm and dry, and are used each and every day of our lives.
Last year, 1,400 books were donated statewide while thousands of students participated in fun educational activities. For more information about NY Ag Literacy Week or Agriculture in the Classroom please contact Barbara Sturm, at 585-343-3040, ext. 122, or at http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/ag-in-the-classroom
