As part of a yearly tradition, first-year students from the Career & Technical Institute’s (CTI) Careers in Animal and Plant Sciences (CAPS) read an agricultural-themed book to Salt Point Center (SPC) students and worked on a related hands-on activity with them during Agricultural Literacy Week, which spanned from March 16 to 20.
The goal of this week is to help students understand where their food comes from and how agriculture connects to their daily lives. This year CAPS students read Chelsea Tornetto’s “Seasons on the Farm,” which gave SPC kids an insider’s look at spring, summer, fall and winter on a family farm. A copy of the book was donated to each participating classroom.
Students then took a paper wheel, divided by the seasons, and drew what they imagined would happen on a livestock farm during those seasons, with a cover that they could spin around with the use of brass fasteners. SPC kindergartner Jeremy Fischetti had fun making the wheel and drawing the different seasons, particularly winter.
“I really like winter because of the snowflakes flying in the sky and you get to make a snowman,” Fischetti said.
For CAPS student Marcus Guzman-Henriquez, reading to and working with the SPC kids was easy as pie as he has previously read to Astor students, adding that patience goes a long way.
“They were really sweet,” Guzman-Henriquez said of the SPC students. “It took them a little bit to understand what we were doing, but toward the end of it they were really engaged.”
While CAPS student Madi Compton had never read to SPC students before, she was well prepared, as she has siblings who are neurodivergent and knows how to speak at their level. She had fun teaching the SPC students how to do the activity and shared why this experience is important for them.
“It’s so they can grow up having some sort of experience and knowledge about what’s happening with agriculture,” Compton said of the students. “It was very fun to be there.”
