On May 13th, BRDC participated in Matthews Living History Farm Museum's Farm Day for Grayson County 1st graders.
Seven learning stations were available for the students to learn about how people lived in 1900: Farming tools, farm animals and their uses, plants and their uses, fibers from plants and animals, a spring house as refrigeration, and insects and their benefits (led by BRDC staff). The students participated in a variety of hands-on activities including searching for bugs, planting in the garden, and dancing to live music on the front porch.
BRDC's Bug Program teaches that not all bugs, insects, and spiders are pests. We discuss the benefits of pollination and predation of good bugs on bad bugs. Finally, we talk about how important bugs are to the food chain. With nets in hand, the kids spread out across the farm's lower field to collect and examine the tiny critters. Some are placed in viewing boxes so they can take a closer look. If screams are any indication of their excitement, the kids had a great time.
