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CASSOPOLIS — From the sweetener in soft drinks to the packing peanuts keeping packages safe, Cassopolis students learned about all the different ways one locally-grown crop can be used in day-to-day life.

The Michigan Agriculture in the Classroom’s FARM (Food, Agriculture and Resources in Motion) Science Lab made a visit to Cassopolis’ Sam Adams Elementary School Wednesday. The 40-foot mobile classroom gives students a “field trip-like” experience, where they learn STEM-based lessons that are the Next Generation Science Standards and National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes to increase agricultural awareness.

“The FARM Science Lab reinforces grade-level standards with hands-on science opportunities while increasing students’ knowledge of how agriculture impacts their daily lives. Each lesson has been individually crafted and tested by certified teachers,” reads a mission statement on the Michigan Agriculture in the Classroom website.

During the lab’s visit to Sam Adams, third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students learned about corn and the different ways it can be used in products.

Assistant Principal Lauren Sheeley said Wednesday’s visit from the FARM Science Lab was two years in the making.

“We’ve been waiting for this to come, and now it’s here, and we are so excited,” she said.

Sheeley said she believed the activity was beneficial for her students and fit in with the school’s existing curriculum.

“A lot of our lessons revolve around where your food comes from, gardening, what’s good for the environment and the earth,” she said. “This definitely opens their eyes to different careers, but more specifically, this activity about corn opens their eyes to the vast ways corn can be used and the different possibilities of biodegradable substances.”

The FARM Science Lab’s visit was sponsored by Cass County Farm Bureau, and Sheeley reported the bureau has already agreed to support another visit to the elementary school.
“We are super grateful for Farm Bureau’s support, so we are incredibly grateful for their partnership,” Sheeley said.