First Grade teachers:
Our “Pumpkin Life Cycle” lesson and bead bracelet activity will take your students on a journey beginning with the pumpkin seed through flowering and pollination and ending with a bright orange pumpkin! McLean County Ag in the Classroom will provide our Pumpkin Facts for Little Readers and all the materials your students need to complete the activity.
Kindergarten teachers:
Our “From Farm to Table” lesson and activity will take your students on a journey from putting a corn kernel into the ground to finding corn ingredients in their breakfast cereal! McLean County Ag in the Classroom will provide our Corn Facts for Little Readers and all the materials your students need to complete the activity.
Looking to add some hands-on learning to your classroom? Check out the Ag Science Grants from McLean County Farm Bureau Foundation!
Apply for funding to purchase one of the suggested learning kits or create your own project related to the science of food and farming.
*NEW – Grant funds will be awarded to the school directly to provide funds for purchase, instead of the grant providing reimbursement after the purchase.
Please note: FFA Chapters/ag classes are not eligible for an Ag Science Grant, but can apply for the FFA Matching Grant or FFA Capital Grant
Find details & the online application at www.mcfb.org/grants
Application deadline is October 31, 2025.
Check out our featured Fall Ag in a Bag Activity kits!
And many more to explore! Click here to see them all!
Sign up for this year’s Summer Ag Institute by May 15! Earn up to 21 hours of professional development with the option of one hour of graduate credit through the University of St. Francis. New option this year: choose to attend one, two, or all three days of our workshop. Scheduled tours include a local grain farm, Anvil Brand equestrian store in Lexington, a Lexington-Chenoa Route 66 Ag History Tour with local ag historian Don Meyer, Evergreen FS at Yuton, Midwest Food Bank, Peoria Lock and Dam, and the Illinois State University Vertical Farm. We’ll also have presentations by Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom, University of Illinois Extension STEAM in the Classroom and various commodity organizations. Learn more here!
