PERRY, GEORGIA (Farm Monitor) — In one elementary classroom, story time is getting a little extra help from a live animal. Georgia Grown Marketing Coordinator Happy Wyatt has spent the past 20 years teaching young students about agriculture and its connection to their everyday lives.
When she visits classrooms, she often brings one of her roosters along.
“Kindergartners love to read,” Wyatt explains. “They love to be read to, and anytime you incorporate an animal, it gets them so excited about reading.”
Wyatt says the idea came after she brought a rooster to her son’s class to show students the different colors eggs can be.
“I brought one of the roosters from the farm with me,” she said. “I saw the excitement on their faces when I pulled out this rooster. There’s such a big disconnect between agriculture and everyday life.”
Now, she travels to schools across the state, reading to students and helping them better understand where their food comes from. Programs like this are part of a larger effort to improve agricultural literacy.
The National Ag in the Classroom organization reaches nearly three million students, with more than 20,000 teachers trained to bring agriculture into their lessons.
