Did you know that chewing gum is a sheep product? Well, these students didn’t!
The North Oconee FFA Chapter in Bogart, Georgia, was invited to Rocky Branch Elementary’s annual STEAM night in mid-September. During the event, students in kindergarten through 12th grade were able to explore what sheep production looks like through the eyes of some middle and high school students on the North Oconee FFA livestock team.
Under the supervision of their advisor, Tim Griffeth, students made a handout consisting of a key for all the products made by sheep. Many of these products include meat, clothes and dairy products like cheese.
However, the interactive part of the worksheet challenged elementary students to guess if a product was true or false in relation to sheep production and to name something from home that’s made from a sheep. As a reward for their hard work, students were given a piece of candy and a complimentary paper to take home.
What made this event so intriguing? After seeing a trailer with some sheep, students and parents were able to explore! As the students got to see and touch the animals, they asked many questions. The most popular one was, “What are their names?”
Toward the end of the night, parents and students began to leave. After leaving a positive impression on all the STEAM night guests, North Oconee FFA walked away with many people wondering and knowing more about sheep production.
From hearing past livestock exhibitors within the county share their stories to students expressing an interest in showing livestock in the future, this is event turned out to be a success for the chapter and the Oconee County School District.
