Lido Beach, LI, Puts Out the
“Farmer” Welcome Mat!
Involved parents can certainly
make a difference!
Such was the case when I
received a phone call from Cathy
Tuccillo, who was searching for
a farmer to enhance their
elementary school’s “Lido Loves
Life” program.
My mission was to
interface agriculture with
nutrition and health!
Lido Elementary School is
one of four elementary schools
in the city of Long Beach
serving pupils from kindergarten
through fifth grade.
Working with Mrs.
Tuccillo I created a 30-minute
program that could be adjusted
for all the classes.
Putting nutrition,
education, food and agriculture
together is such a natural!
The school received a variety of
“preparation” resources.
The teachers could pick
what suited their classroom
studies and personal
preferences.
I later learned that
students utilized these
resources and prepared
coordinated projects which they
took home and shared with their
families.
Each class had the opportunity
to visit my farm through
on-screen pictures which
demonstrated the diversity of
New York’s geography, rural,
urban and suburban communities,
people,
careers and so much
more.
The comparisons of the
intensive balancing of our cows
ration (meals) to their own
meals highlighted the intake and
the output, that they balance…to
keep us all healthy and fit.
They also discovered the
variety of different types of
farmers that supply us with all
that we eat and the careers,
process and procedures that line
the journey from farm to fork.
Nutrition
facts and trivia about some of
their favorite fruits and
vegetables surprised and pleased
the students as we explored the
expansive diversity of their
local community.
Learning what the “Pride
of New York” symbol and the
“Real Seal” signify, they were
challenged to find them on their
next trip to the grocery store.
This exercise instills a
desire to read labels, for
example to insure that the maple
syrup they may be buying is not
a corn syrup mixture but truly
comes from the mighty maple
tree.
Better readers are more
knowledgeable consumers!
This was a wonderful learning experience for everyone at Lido Elementary as well as for me. The welcome that I received has fueled my enthusiasm and creativity. Every single person that I met during my brief visit was interested, hospitable and dedicated to enhancing student education. I know that many parents are involved, and hopefully those that are agriculturists can find time to spend in classrooms across the state.
