Since it broke ground in 2016, the Bethel Farm in Eugene has grown into a working educational farm for students in the Bethel School District, traditionally through third grade field trips. Students at the neighboring Kalapuya High School have played an integral role in the design and construction of the farm and many students work on the farm, and Kalapuya teachers integrate agriculture into curricula.
Nutrition educators in Oregon State University Extension’s Family and Community Health Program have a long and successful history of collaborating with Kalapuya High School to deliver nutrition and cooking classes to its students.
In the fall of 2021, OSU Extension’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) unit in Lane County was approached by the agriculture teacher at Kalapuya to participate in an adapted version of farm field trips for Bethel elementary students. SNAP-Ed worked closely with Kalapuya staff to develop a vision for the field trips and to train Kalapuya students to assist during the field trips.
From September and October of 2021, Extension SNAP-Ed worked with Kalapuya staff and students to deliver nine field trips to a total of 221 third-graders. The field trip included a hands-on cooking activity led by SNAP-Ed educators. This comprised of shucking corn, making pumpkin pie spice blend, learning about popcorn while it was popping, and then sampling the pumpkin pie spice as a topping for popcorn.
This program was well-received by local elementary teachers and students, so in the spring of 2022 a new round of field trips was offered to third grade classes that hadn’t been able to attend in the fall. Seven classes learned how to harvest strawberries and make berry-banana smoothies using a blender that is powered by a rider on a stationary bike.
The field trips continued in the fall of 2022. In September and October, a streamlined popcorn and spice activity was delivered during seven farm field trips. Spring field trips will be delivered in May 2023.
As a result of these efforts, about 500 third-grade students from the Bethel School District have been able to visit the Bethel Farm as part of a field trip. During these trips, the students learn about farming practices and interact with honeybees and chickens. They also learn what the farm offers to their community, including weekly free farmers markets and the Bethel Farm Summer Camp. OSU Extension SNAP-Ed educators who participate in the field trips send the students home with resources related to their lessons so that they can share important health and well-being information with their families.