Grade 5 students take a Bite of Brant at local Agri-food industry event

By Casandra Turnbull

Students in two Grade 5 classes at Cobblestone Elementary received a hands-on agricultural lesson this past week as they attended the 29th Annual Bite of Brant agri-food program in Burford

The students in Mrs. Larion-Dukes’ and Mr. Gerry Foreman’s classes were both engaged and at times surprised by the information they learned during the one-day class trip. It’s an annual tradition for Cobblestone students to attend Bite of Brant, mainly because it aligns with the curriculum in Health and Social Studies, but also because they gain valuable insight on how food is produced locally and ultimately lands on their plates.

“We appreciate all the work the local farmers put into it to make it hands-on, entertaining, and interesting for our students,” said Larion-Dukes. “They liked hearing about the history of maple syrup (and how it was "accidentally" discovered by an Indigenous child) and learning about how bees are so important to our world ”

The students had some pre-trip discussions on what to expect and after returning continued discussions on the agri-food industry

Since the program is such a hit with students, and educators, Cobblestone Elementary participates each year These Paris students are just a handful of over 1,000 pupils who gathered at the Burford Fairgrounds on April 9th and 10th .

They participated in 20 different stations designed to give the students a real-life demonstration of how their food is produced, as well as outlining the benefits of Ontario and Canadian produced food.

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Grade 5 students in Mrs Larion-Dukes and Mr Foreman’s Cobblestone Elementary School classes, some pictured, learned about how bees are so important to our world and especially liked putting on the beekeeper protection. They also liked planting either a tomato or basil plant which they were able to take it home to watch as it grows.

“It is important for students to gain an appreciation for the high quality of Ontario food and to have some knowledge of how it is produced, since they are already consumers AND they are our future decisionmakers,” said Bite of Brant organizer Jean Emmott. The success of this program lies with the support of the approximately 125 volunteers and the dedicated planning committee, who plan, organize and present this popular program

Grade 5 students from Cobblestone Elementary enjoyed this year’s Bite of Brant Event in Burford. Students had a chance to meet livestock – like as cows and pigs – to learn more about local agriculture and the agri-food industry. Among the surprising facts of the day – learning cows eat 60-100 pounds of hay a day. Did you know?