MONTE VISTA – On the coattails of the Southern Rocky Mountain Agriculture Conference, the CSU SLV Area Extension recently hosted the Kids Agriculture Festival on Feb. 10-12 at the Ski-Hi Complex in Monte Vista. 

Each day, the festival began at 10 a.m. and finished around 2 p.m. Children from various school districts visited the festival.  

Stations were set up inside the complex. Each station contained a different learning experience related to different types of agriculture. The stations allowed students to see the benefits of agriculture and its different career fields. 

SLV 4-H Youth Specialist Mollie Wells was at one station with live baby chickens that the children held while learning about them, including how they were hatched from eggs. Wells stated that the students loved that station. 

“This is one of the favorite stations by far, kiddos get to hold baby chicks and it’s a really great hands-on experience for them,” she said. 

SLV 4-H Youth Specialist Carol Gurule was at another station, teaching students about pizza. She broke the students in her area up into groups and had them put pictures related to how pizza was made. The pictures consisted of tomatoes, cheese, milk, cows, wheat, tomato sauce, dough for crust, and the seasoning oregano. 

Gurule explained that one pizza takes about two years to make, explaining how wheat must be grown and harvested to help make the crust, tomatoes have to be grown and farmed to help make the sauce, and cheese must be made from milk that comes from milking a cow. 

She also showed how toppings such as oregano must be grown and harvested for the pizza as well. The students seemed interested in the steps to make the pizza, and Gurule stated she felt like the students learned the length of time it takes to get something from farm to table.  

Another station was set up teaching children all about weaving. The children were put into groups and took turns using various pieces of yarn to weave on a carboard loom. The process by which the yarn was made was also explained to students. The students at the station were excited to learn about the weaving process.  

At another station students learned about flowers – how they are grown and are pollinated. The students learned about the parts of the flower, and the different pollinators, including butterflies, bees, ladybugs, hummingbirds, and bats. 

A station was set up with a cardboard cow. The students learned how cows were processed for meat and how they were milked. 

The Rio Grande Watershed Conservation and Education Initiative had a station, and they spoke to students about rain, the importance of moisture, how much water is needed to grow plants and flowers, and how water is essential to all living things. They had a demonstration box where students were shown how rivers run, they were given water supply information, and how water gets to houses and farms. 

A station taught students about soil, and how soil helps make everything grow. Students in this station were also given a sweet snack that looked like soil. 

Teacher Cydnie Mueller stated that she felt her class was really engaged and stated that she felt it was a great experience for them. 

“The kids learned about soil, about minerals, and the bugs in the soil, it was great. The kids really liked this one and it was helpful that they had a snack. The kids asked some good questions and were very engaged at this station too.”  

For more information on the Kids Agriculture Festival, contact the CSU SLV Extension Office at 719-852-7381.