Educational Programs at Maricopa Agricultural Center
Explore a 2,100-acre working farm with tractor-trailer rides and interactive activities to get hands-on with what it takes to grow the food that ends up on your plate. Ag-Ventures is part of the Maricopa Agricultural Center, which reaches more than 3,500 students and educators per year.
Garden Ag-Ventures
Available January through February
One in every three bites of food we eat is linked to bee pollination. Students will learn about bees and pollination, make a garden in a cup to take home and learn about the differences between fruits and a vegetables.
MAC Farm Ag-Ventures
Available March through April
Vegetables are a very important part of our diet. Students will learn what a plant needs to grow, where our food comes from, what’s the difference between a fruit and a vegetable and the importance of water conservation while participating in a water relay race. They also will have the opportunity to harvest vegetables (depending on field conditions).
MAC Corn Festival
Available October through November
For thousands of years, corn has been a major staple in our diets. Students will participate in a variety of educational activities ranging from learning the history of corn, grinding corn and planting their own garden in a cup. They also will have the opportunity to walk through a corn maze (depending on field conditions).
Ag-Ventures Classroom Presentations
Bring the farm directly to your classroom.
Registration costs are $45 per classroom, which serves 25-30 students for 45-60 minutes of interactive, in-class activity.
Garden In a Cup
Students will learn what a plant needs to grow: soil, seed, water, air, and light. We will also discuss photosynthesis and germination.
Activity: students will make their own gardens in a cup as well as making an Ag-Venture bracelet, which has different color beads, each representing what a plant needs to grow.
AZ Science Standards: 1.L2U1.7 and 1.L2U1.8, 2.L2U1.9 and 2.L2U1.10
Fruits and Vegetables
Students will learn that fruits contain seeds while vegetables are parts of the plant that we eat (roots, stems, leaves and flowers). We will also discuss how vegetables produce seeds and how seeds move in nature.
ACTIVITY: Sorting game to determine if something is a fruit or vegetable as well as making an Ag-Venture bracelet which has different color beads that represent things a plant needs to grow.
AZ Science Standards: K.L1U1.6 and K.L1U1.7
Pizza Comes from the Farm
Students will learn how the food we eat comes from a farm.
ACTIVITY: Students will participate in creating a ‘pretend’ pizza and learn how each item comes from a farm. Additionally, they will make an Ag-Venture bracelet that has different color beads that represent things that a plant needs to grow.
AZ Science Standards: 1.E3.A, 1.E3.2 and 1.E3.3
Seed Match
Students will match seeds with corresponding plants as well as learn how seeds move in nature.
ACTIVITY: Using a worksheet with mature plant images, students will match / glue seed to corresponding plant; students will also use magnifying glasses to look at each seed to compare sizes, colors, etc. Additionally, they will make an Ag-Venture bracelet which has different color beads that represent things that a plant needs to grow.
AZ Science Standards: K.L1U1.7, 1.L1U1.9 and 3.L1U1.5
Water Science (Water Cycle)
Students will learn how water moves through the water cycle as well as the different states of water.
ACTIVITY: Students play a game in which they become a water molecule and document their movement through the water cycle.
AZ Science Standards: 2.E1.U2.6, 2.E1U1.5 and 4.E1U3.9