This week in Story County, we had a blast enjoying the hot weather and wearing our red polos proudly. We started off the week with Rising Star Intern Jasmine Williams, Story County Extension Staff, and Master Gardeners providing an educational program at the Ames Farmer’s Market. They got to share knowledge about the amount of fruits🍎 and vegetables 🥦we should have daily by creating an activity that allowed people to choose what they would eat in a day. We then discussed if the right amount was achieved and made recommendations. Our Master Gardeners also answered questions about gardening/insects and led an activity on planting a flower of your choice.
On Sunday, Emily Plagman got the chance to work with Cultivating Hope 4H Club to get feedback on what a future club leader should look like and how they want to shape their club to benefit the youth as best as possible.
We welcomed Camp Blastoff and team Neutrino/volunteers on Monday as it was their first day of a hands-on robotic and logo camp. As we move through the week, all the Rising Star Interns got the chance to harvest cherries🍒, carrots🥕, kale, and broccoli🥦 at the Beloit Donation Garden. We closed the week with an Agriculture and Nutrition Wellness Program at Cultivating Hope Farms. Iowa State Extension and Outreach and Cultivating Hope Farms partnered to have a hands-on and inclusive program for families to learn about nutrition and livestock husbandry. Jasmine and Emily really enjoyed working with the youth as they got the chance to learn about the food they put in their bodies, where it comes from, and how what they don’t eat can be fed to the animals. The youth got to listen to a story, do a hands-on farmer’s market activity, learn about nutrition through the food items they picked, enjoy watermelon, and feed the skin of the watermelon/potatoes to the farm animals. Also, on Thursday, Colter got the opportunity to meet with representatives from the fair board to discuss the fair details. Thanks for tuning in with the Rising Star interns this week; check back next week for more!
