Success StoryEngaging elementary students into horticulture with cooperation of master gardeners and through multidisciplinary approaches in rural KY



Engaging elementary students into horticulture with cooperation of master gardeners and through multidisciplinary approaches in rural KY

Author: Raul Villanueva

Planning Unit: Entomology

Major Program: Community Engagement

Outcome: Initial Outcome

This is an program developed and coordinated by Dr. Zenaida Viloria. In this effort teaching was conducted to 4th and 5th grades elementary student from Caldwell (330 students) and Lyon  (150 students) Counties in four dates (two on each April and May) with a total of 900 contact hours. The entomology group located in the REC at Princeton participated widely in the design, logistic and field day displays of the events. In the guided tours for both groups of Caldwell and Lyon Co. the entomology laboratory group included two master students (Izabela Gomez and Yaziri Gonzalez), a research visitor scholar (Rocio Davila), and two summer students Kaleb Tamez and Alex Teutsch). All of them provided presentation on insect life stories (natural enemies and pests of crops), with displays of dissected insects, and live insects showing damages on wheat and other crops, as well as describing the importance of insects as pollinators, their types of limbs, and specific characteristics such as camouflage and mimicry. The overall legacy of these hands on events was satisfactory and fulfilled for the master student instructors, the research scholar and the two summer students, that observed the challenges to work with 4th and 5th grade students. As well, many  elementary students may got a pleasing imprint of the experience, many touched insects for first time, and took the time to see what else is in nature, and even there were kids that may have follow a career in agriculture.

You cab see more of these event on:

https://uknow.uky.edu/campus-news/youngsters-learn-about-horticulture-uk-center-princeton







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