810-Lancwor Farming, Saturday, May 16, 1992 Schooltime Fun For ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff NEWTOWN SQUARE (Dela ware Co.) The students in Mrs. Linda Muhoney’s and Mrs. Ellen Alexander’s Scenic Hills second grade class got a “mouth-opening experience” last week. That’s when they took a field trip to the Garrett Williamson Farm on Bishop Hollow Road as part of their food production class. They looked inside a ram lamb’s mouth and tried to guess exactly how old the animal was. “What’s happening to your teeth?’’ asked Delaware Extension Director and County 4-H Agent C.R. “Bud” Bryan to the group of about 10 second-graders. Some just stopped petting the lamb for a second, smiled, and raised their hands. One girl answered, “They fall out.” Bryan asked her, “And what do you call the teeth that you had to begin with?” der’s second grade class. “Man, she’s cute,” says a Scenic Hills second grade student while he pets isey,” a 2-year-old Ayrshire at the Williamson Farm. James Short, 4-H program aide, looks on. “Baby teeth,” said a boy, laughing. “And what do you call the teeth that you get?” Together, many of the students said, “Permanent teeth!” Bryan told them that, yes, sheep also lose their baby teeth, much like humans. Their mouth grows and adult teeth replace the starter teeth. Bryan asked them to guess the age of the sheep by the teeth it has. Two teeth are lost per year, over a total of about four years. “If you look in the sheep’s mouth and it had six adult teeth and two left on the ends, how old would the sheep be?” One girl spoke up quickly, and said, ‘ ‘Eight! ’’But that’s not right, according to Bryan. The 4-H agent asked them to do a little adding on their own if it had six adult teeth, that’s three times two, which makes six. “Three,” said a boy. Second Graders On Farm Tour ... —igent, and Leslie Ruzowlcz, 4-H staffer, show second graders what to look at to determine the age of sheep. Photos by Andy Andrews ‘‘ That ’ s correct .” said Bryan, to learn how food placed, market lambs. But taking care of smiling variety of different foods, relation- many of the animals will be shared Jim Short, 4-H aide, aid Leslie shi of agriculture pe rson , by a great deal of the more than Ruzowicz, part-time 4-H staffer. an( f to healthy 5.000 active 4-H members, were on hand to offer the us i ng aii four food groups. In addition, the bam is undergo demonstraUons. Groups tour the facility ing some changes so 4-H members . Lmda Muhoney.second grade weet fo efan n housed an Ayrshire can practice showing farm teacher at Scenic Hills (part of the heifer( two Angus (a ammals. Springfield, Delaware County he ifer). ore Yorkshire Teachers interested in signing school system), said the field tnp crQ J SQW with a liue various U p for the food education program was part of the culminating expen- sh and pQultry can contact Bryan at the Delware ence for foe students. During the summer, 40 kids will County Extension Office. 1521 The children also visited other !8 pigs and !0 or more North Providence Road. Media, exhibits on the 240-acre form. PA 19063, (215) 565-9070. including the embryology project (housed in the old maternity sec tion of the former dairy bam). A lot like the Ag In die Class room Project, the 4-H Food Pro duction Education Program, run by the extension, provides an opportunity for the students to leam the fundamentals of animal agriculture. Through the 4-H office, local schools can sign up with the program and tour the farm during April, May. or June. The program is aimed at grades two and hi her. It allows students ‘play
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