Holiday Hazards for Your Pets: Downloadable Inside
It’s the most wonderful time of the year… but did you know it can be the most hazardous time of the year for your pets?
Holidays always allow for fun classroom activities and give your students the chance to do something that matches their energy versus forcing them to sit and listen to a 30 minute lesson when they’re hyped up on chocolate and the excitement of the upcoming winter break..
I mean let’s face it - holidays as teachers can be challenging, but we must remember that it isn't our students' fault!
Kids are naturally excited 🤪 about holidays (regardless of their age and regardless if it’s Valentine’s Day, Christmas or Groundhogs Day 😂), so instead of wasting your time and energy on trying to correct their behavior, you can lean into it by planning for fun activities that relate to the holiday at hand!
This activity goes hand in hand with the holidays, so it creates the perfect opportunity for you to still teach something on this day while relating it back to what’s actually going on in their life!
For this Holiday Hazards activity, your students will research hazards that are common around the season. From the beautiful (and toxic) poinsettias to the tantalizing (and shocking) twinkling lights, students find those hazards that might cause our furry (and not so furry) friends stress on the holidays.
To add an extra layer to this activity, you can assign one hazard per group, have them research in groups, present their findings to the whole class. Another extension activity is to have student create informational posters to hang around school!
Holiday Hazards is quick activity (approx. one 45 minute class) that will keep those students occupied despite their distractions on the holiday!
You can grab this activity for FREE by clicking HERE.
Happy Holidays!
The Green & Growing Fam 💚
One Way to Present Student SAE Projects
So, your students have SAEs.
Great! That is a huge win.
But, you are wanting a way to have the students share about their experiences. Why? Because Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAEs) are done outside of school time. So, unless you provide a way for students to share, they may never get to see what a wide variety of skills, passions and activities other classmates are doing. And of course, the side benefit of showing off your awesome students to stakeholders like you administration.
Why don’t you try an SAE Expo?
Term and strategy coined by our very own Sarah Nerswick. Sarah found a missing link in her program when it came to SAEs. She loved seeing the end cumulation of an Agriscience Fair and wondered if there was a way to have that kind of event for SAEs.
And the SAE Expo was born! The SAE Expo is a large public exhibition of knowledge and skills gained through SAE’s. Students get to choose how they will present their SAEs (speech, demonstration, display board), spend time in class preparing, practice their presentations with classmates and then the BIG EVENT. Students share their skills, successes and plans for their SAE at the SAE Expo.
Sarah created a one-page to include student instructions and a rubric. Grab your copy here!
You can find out more about the SAE Expo on Episode 139 of the Green & Growing Education Podcast.
Donate To Help Florida Better Relief Fund
You have probably seen the devastation that Hurricane Ian had upon Florida. Watching in disbelief the lives that have been lost and changed forever. You also may be wondering how you can help.
Green & Growing Education is following the Florida FFA Associations suggestion and if you feel led to donate to the cause here is all the information.
The Florida FFA Disaster Relief Fund was been created to help Florida FFA chapters rebuild following natural disasters, such as Hurricane Ian. Donations to this fund will be dispersed directly to agricultural education programs and FFA chapters affected by catastrophic events.
You can donate directly to think link: https://donorbox.org/betterdaysfund
Or send checks to:
Florida FFA Foundation
Attn: Better Days Fund
5000 Firetower Rd.
Haines City, FL 33844
Green & Growing Education is donating the profits from all Starter Pack sales from Monday 10/3-Friday 10/7 to this relief fund.
How You Can Raise Funds for Your Chapter Without Fundraising
We all know the *typical* FFA fundraisers…
Boston Butts
Plant Sales
Poinsettias
Meat Sticks
Donuts
Cookie Dough
And the list goes on.
What if there was a way for you to earn money for your chapter without the constant management of a typical fundraiser?!
There are a few ways that G&G community members have found success in some not so typical fundraisers! Hear from these successful teachers on the latest episode of the G&G Podcast!
Business sponsorships
Learn how Allison Heald from Alabama got her students National Convention trip paid for by local businesses on the G&G Podcast Episode 132.
Donors choose
Amber Nead from North Carolina has received over $4800 from Donors Choose to fund 7 projects!. Need some tips? Check out her Germinate session from Summer 2020.
Community partners
Your community could be just waiting for the opportunity to help your chapter reach it’s fundraising goals. Check out Cara Parlato-Butler’s Summer 2022 Germinate session on building community partnerships.
Letter writing
What if a simple letter could bring in thousands of dollars for your chapter. Learn how on Episode 18 of the G&G Podcast
School Based Enterprises
Fundraising could be your day to day happenings. Doggy daycare, farmers market, floral shop, the sky is the limit. Check out Abbey Brown from Georgia’s Germinate 2022 Summer session on implementing School Based Enterprises
Ps... wanna raise some funds for your personal development? G&G's inangual PD scholarship application is OPEN. Check it out here!
Your Guide to Training Your FFA Members to Fundraise With Ease
It’s fundraising season…
Isn’t every season fundraising season?
Fundraising isn’t about money
It’s about opportunity, it’s about impact, it’s about legacy!
The funds you raise gives students an opportunity which impacts their lives and can eventually lead to a legacy they build for their families, friends and careers.
It’s not about meat sticks, plants or fruit. It’s so much more. And that is the VERY reason we should put more intention and care into our fundraisers!
If you are looking for that intention and care. Here are a few tips!
1.Be a storyteller
You know what sells? Things that people can buy EMOTIONALLY. How much more likely are you to buy the wreath from the kid who told the story about how the wreath is helping their chapter sponsor a local animal shelter versus the kid who just asks for the sale?
Teach the students to tell the story of the fund. Remember you aren’t raising money, you are raising opportunities!
2. Be specific
Confused people don’t sell! When you are SPECIFIC about your fundraiser it is easier for people to buy. Be specific about WHAT you are selling, WHERE you are selling it, WHEN they can pick up, and WHY you are selling it (remember to be a story teller). Make sure you your students know the answers to all of these questions before selling!
3. Find your people
Not everyone wants a wreath, not everyone wants a geranium, not everyone wants a meat stick, not everyone wants a donut. AND THAT IS OK. Your job is to FIND the people who DO want it and SHOW UP where they are! Selling meat sticks with a newspaper article might not hit the right audience. Selling the plant sale with posters around the school might not hit the right audience. Dive deep into WHO the RIGHT buyer is, and find out where they show up, and sell there!
September 2022 is all about fundraisers in the G&G world! Be ready to learn more about how to continue to focus on the intention of fundraisers! Wanna hear some real life examples of being a storyteller, being specific and finding your people? Check out Episode 131 on the Green & Growing Podcast!