MURFREESBORO — Preschool
and kindergarten-age children often say very little. But they make up for it
with their smiles and laughter.
Plenty of smiling, overjoyed children attended the first
MTSU Agricultural Education Spring Fling, which brought students from
Rutherford and Cannon counties and Murfreesboro City Schools to campus Tuesday,
April 15, in the Tennessee Livestock Center.
“This is agritourism at its best,” said professor Alanna
Vaught, who oversaw the planning by two agribusiness classes and a group effort
to show nearly 800 youngsters what farming and farm life are all about.
To view video of the Ag Ed Spring Fling, visit http://youtu.be/_G1O6MErArc.
Animals, a barnyard straw maze, crafts and much more greeted
the children, their teachers and even some of their parents at the event.
Zaiquay McClanahan, 5, of Murfreesboro, a Bellwood
Elementary preschooler, thoroughly enjoyed sitting atop a life-like play horse
in the Barnyard Playground area. But he was ready to head to the maze and had
little time to talk.
In the main arena, the children could see and touch a
Tennessee walking horse world grand champion, meat goats and more.
“My favorite was the horses,” said Molly Teague, 6, of
Blackman Elementary School. Overall, Teague said it was a good, fun event.
While making a cow hand puppet, Olivia Egli, 5, of Blackman
Elementary, said she “liked doing this craft.”
Ava Bush, 6, another Blackman student, said it “was 100 percent
fun.” She enjoyed “seeing all the animals, the tractors and Lil’ Acres
activities.”
Lil’ Acres, which was brought by the Rutherford County Farm
Bureau Women, featured an interactive exhibit with 10 stops. Children could
gather plastic eggs, simulate milking a cow and digging potatoes and more, and
then sell their farmers market items at a makeshift storefront. With the money
they earned, they could buy a national Farm Bureau coloring book.
Bush’s teacher, Jana Hawkins, grew up on a farm in Smith County
near Gordonsville, Tenn.
“This is a lost thing for these kids,” Hawkins said.
“There’s nothing like hands-on. It’s a really neat experience and great
excitement for them. You can see these things in a book, but there’s nothing
like getting to see it in person.”
Jayce McKinnie, 4, a Bellwood preschooler, said he loved the
maze the most.
Jenny McKinnie, an MTSU alumna with a degree from the School
of Nursing in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, worked all night
and left in time to meet her son at the field trip to MTSU.
“It’s fun to get to do this with his class,” she said. “It’s
fun to watch their faces with the animals and see them get tickled.”
Daniel Prior, an MTSU senior plant and soil science major
from Brentwood, Tenn., who expects to graduate Saturday, May 10, said “every
bit of me” was involved in the preparation process as student coordinator.
“The kids are really enjoying it,” Prior said. “They have
smiles on their faces and that’s good.”
In addition to her classes, Vaught said additional help came
from Andriana Lamb with the Rutherford Farmers Co-Op, Farm Bureau and FFA
student volunteers from Oakland, Stewarts Creek, Cascade and Smith County high
schools.
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