Dig In! Agricultural Literacy Program
Dig In! is designed to allow K-12 students to learn hands-on educational programming regarding food production, plant sciences, agricultural ecosystems, healthy food and nutrition, and civic service around hunger in our community. Our classroom is located at CSU's Western Colorado Research Center in Orchard Mesa and is used seasonally for camps, field trips, no school days and programs with the Environmental Institute.
WCRC is a working 80 acre farm where researchers study tree fruits, wine grape production and ornamental horticulture. Learn more about the Orchard Mesa Research Station & our partnership here.
Exploring the Fields: The Western Colorado Research Center is one of ten research centers that make up Colorado’s Agricultural Experiment Station, the state’s leader in agricultural research and education programs. We use the orchards, vegetable plots and gardens at WCRC-OM as educational spaces to provide learning opportunities for K-12 students.
Service Learning Garden: With 25 raised beds and a grow tunnel, our garden is cared for by students from March through October, where they plant, harvest, and maintain the space. While the students who plant may not always be the ones to harvest, the garden serves as a powerful reflection of our food system. It encourages us to appreciate all the individuals who contribute to ensuring our grocery stores and farmers' markets are stocked with fresh produce year round!
Teaching Kitchen: Students not only have the opportunity to witness how food is grown and participate in the harvest, but we also focus on teaching them how to turn fresh produce into nutritious and delicious recipes. In our fully equipped teaching kitchen, we explore new recipes, emphasize kitchen safety, and foster confidence in the kitchen.
Classroom: Dig In! features a satellite classroom on the farm, where we integrate hands-on STEAM projects focused on agriculture. Our classroom accommodates up to 30 students and is primarily used for no-school days and summer camps. Field trips can expect to take place outdoors, rain or shine!
Dig In! Camps
- Farm Olympics, 3/13-3/14. Ages 6-9
- Field To Fork, 3/17-3/21. Ages 6-9
- The Garden We Grow, 5/9. Ages 6-9
- Baking With The Bounty, 5/22-5/23. Ages 6-9
For more information about all the camps EUREKA! offers, please visit our Camps page. All registration is done through our Dashboard System. Instructions on how to create an account can be found here!
Field Trips to CSU Research Center
Dig In! Field Trip Request Form
Location:
- 3170 B 1/2 Rd, Grand Junction, CO 81503
Prices:
- District 51 Schools (Excludes Charter): Free
- Non-District 51 groups: $9/Student
Duration:
- 10:00 AM- Arrive
- 1:30 PM- Departure
Maximum 60 students.
Schools are responsible for funding their bus transportation. Bus funds may also be available by contacting friendsofyouthandnature@gmail.com.
Field Trip Topics:
- Plants and Pollinators - At the end of this lesson students will be able to identify different parts of plants we eat and how pollinators affect the food chain.
- All About Seeds - At the end of this lesson students will be able to identify examples of edible seeds, seed dispersal and a few things seeds and humans have in common.
- Building Complete Meals or Snacks - At the end of this lesson, students will be able to understand the basics of building a nutritionally complete meal or snack. Our hands-on classroom activity will encourage students to learn about the importance of eating well balanced meals.
- Farm to Table - At the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify the steps our food takes to go from farm to table. Students will learn hands-on in the kitchen what kind of preparation goes into making food and some of the hard work our farmers do so that we can eat.
- Seasonal Programming - chosen by EUREKA / CSU Staff. This is dictated by what is happening on the farm.
