AMBOY – Natalie Pratt held up a corn cob and pronounced, “Corn is the best superpower,” to a group of fifth graders Friday, April 19 at the Lee County Ag Expo on the grounds of the Lee County 4-H Center.
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AMBOY – Natalie Pratt held up a corn cob and pronounced, “Corn is the best superpower,” to a group of fifth graders Friday, April 19 at the Lee County Ag Expo on the grounds of the Lee County 4-H Center.
Pratt, a junior at Amboy High School and newly named president of the Illinois Association FFA Section 2, thinks it’s only right the younger kids know everything about agriculture, especially corn.
“I love corn and I love being able to teach the kids about corn. This is my third-year teaching at the Ag Expo,” Pratt said. “All the kids are super excited to learn. It’s amazing to see the kids be so interested in agriculture, especially since we live in such an agriculturally dominate community.
“The number of kids that don’t know a lot about agriculture is concerning and I’m excited to teach them more about what’s going on in their community. This way, when they’re driving or riding past a corn field, they know what’s going on in the field.”
The Ag Expo, in its 19th year, invites all fifth graders from Lee County.
Amboy brought as many as they could and had Amboy Junior High School teachers Mike Olson, Scotlyn Schabacker, and Betsy Jones guiding groups around the nine different stations including butterflies, mushrooms, horses, 4-H, beef, corn, soil, dairy, and goats.
“It’s so important because we live in a farming community. The kids don’t realize the things that are around us that are so important to Amboy,” said Jones, who teaches ELA and social studies at AJHS. “I learn something new every single year. When they talk about 4-H, kids think they have to live on a farm to be in the club. That’s not the case. They describe that to the kids here and show them they can do other things in 4-H like horticulture, photography, baking, and more. Everyone can be in 4-H.
“Every single station at the expo allows the kids to actively participate. Being able to touch a horse was huge because some kids will never be able to touch a horse. Some will never stand by a cow, goats, or rabbits. They learn about water. They’re by huge tractors and equipment they’ve never seen before.
“An event like this offers them opportunities they may not have again, and they get to have fun learning.”
