Educational Workshops during the February & April School Vacation

During the February and April School Vacation MAC is offering educational workshops for teachers and others who want to learn more about agriculture and Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom. This is an opportunity to take information and activities back to your school or community, learn about volunteering with MAC, or even each PDP's with a related classroom activity. There is no fee; you can bring something to add to the lunch.

Tuesday, February 21

Spend the morning exploring plants and how to grow them with horticulturist, nurseryman and garden designer Warren Leach from Tranquil Lake Nursery. He'll focus on Plant Anatomy and Physiology, Plant Propagation, and identifying plants scientifically by their structures. Bring your questions!

In the afternoon learn about Dairy Goat and other Small Ruminants with 5th grade teacher Bob Cote, our 2009 MAC Teacher of the Year. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Marlborough

Thursday, February 23

Spend the morning learning about the life of the Dairy cow and Dairy Farming in Massachusetts with Marjorie Cooper from Cooper's Hilltop Dairy Farm in Leicester. Marjorie is also MAC's President and a founding member.
Then brush up on growing skills during Vegetable Gardening Basics with Ken Oles, retired 5th grade teacher, Master Gardener and Mac Board Member. Bring your questions!
In the afternoon learn about Lacto-fermentation preservation with Liz Ellis, Culinary Associate for Heifer Project international's Overlook Farm in Rutland.

Both days will end with an overview of MAC and opportunities to explore our programs and volunteer. Ten Professional Development Points are provided with accompanying classroom activity. Free and open to educators and volunteers. You may bring something to contribute to the lunch.

Saturday, April 21

During the April School Vacation. There will be a full day of gardening skills workshops and demonstrations at Tranquil Lake Nursery in Rehoboth. Learn how to prepare soils, dig beds, add soils amendments, plant a tree, prune, seed, transplant, fertilize, water, mulch and even build a garden structure. Free to educators, school gardeners and volunteers. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

These workshops are a great opportunity to learn more about MAC, while you also learn about agriculture in Massachusetts.  MAC is expanding our educational programs to include outreach for parents and young children at fairs, festivals, farmers markets and other educational venues. We invite you to join us as a volunteer. Once training is completed, you'll be given the opportunity to represent MAC at public events, working with at least one other volunteer or board member at any time. Send an e-mail to massaginclassroom@earthlink.net for more information or to volunteer or to register for an educational workshop