Fifth-graders in Clovis, New Mexico, got an up-close view of where their food comes from – and they didn’t have to step foot inside of a grocery store.
About 675 students from 15 schools attended this year’s Cultivating Young Minds event, hosted by New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Clovis. The event took place Oct. 13 and 14, and featured a demonstration by Extension agents on making a pumpkin pie in a bag. Students also learned about soil, plants and food, and ended the event by picking their own pumpkins to take home.
“We get to showcase our research station to the kids, who in turn tell their parents all about it,” said Abdel Mesbah, superintendent of the Clovis science center. “We also teach kids about the plants and soil, and where their food comes from. Many of them think their food comes from Walmart, but we show them that flour comes from wheat, and canola oil comes from plants and seeds.”
Mesbah said the event began in 2015, but has been canceled twice since then, including last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The center’s staff and Extension agents were happy to see the students enjoying their time at the science center once again.
For more information about the Agricultural Science Center at Clovis, visit https://clovissc.nmsu.edu/.
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Photo is available at Clovis_Pumpkin_Event-09.jpg
CUTLINE: A group of fifth-graders from Clovis, New Mexico, learn about the life cycle of pumpkins while enjoying pumpkin pie cups during the Cultivating Young Minds event hosted by New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Clovis. (NMSU photo by Tarran Jackson)
A woman standing in front of a large group of children
Photo is available at Clovis_Pumpkin_Event-19.jpg
CUTLINE: A group of fifth-graders from Clovis, New Mexico, learn more about the different kinds of food items, such as flour, that come from plants during the Cultivating Young Minds event hosted by New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Clovis. (NMSU photo by Tarran Jackson)
A group of children standing near an outdoor table with various plants
Photo is available at Clovis_Pumpkin_Event-29.jpg
CUTLINE: Students participating in this year’s Cultivating Young Minds event hosted by New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center at Clovis had the chance to pick out a pumpkin or three to take home to carve or turn into pumpkin pie. (NMSU photo by Tarran Jackson)
Children standing in a pumpkin field