Workshops

When we start our students off, we might tell them about the possibilities they can make happen. After this, you can tell them we can even make pigs fly! This very accessible and fun activity has students learning the steps to inquiry as they hypothesize and test the best airplane they can build to carry their 'pig'!

Cindy Vance - National FFA Organization State Relation Specialist

Roger Hanagriff - Help your students develop and track their SAEs to help them gain better skills in keeping records and reflecting on results! This workshop will not only cover the essential aspects of how students can track their SAEs, but we will also look at important connections to improve FFA award applications and how the data can help promote your Ag Education program. 

Exploring the World of Mushrooms: Curriculum Connections, Cultivation, and Compost

Join us for a dynamic and hands-on session designed specifically for educators in nature-based and outdoor learning environments! This program dives into the enchanting world of fungi, with a focus on mushrooms as a powerful entry point for science, ecology, and sustainability education.

We’ll explore:

• Fascinating mushroom facts to spark curiosity and wonder in your students

• Hands-on activities and teaching strategies for weaving mycology into your curriculum, from spore printing to fungal forays

• Mushroom cultivation 101, with a focus on low-tech, small-scale methods using Martha tents, greenhouses, or even indoor classroom spaces

• The magic of mushroom compost, including how to start and maintain a mini mushroom compost system as a living lab for soil health, decomposition, and sustainable practices

Whether you're just starting your journey into the fungal kingdom or looking to deepen your knowledge and practice, you'll walk away with practical ideas, resources, and inspiration for bringing mushrooms into your nature school or classroom in meaningful, hands-on ways.

Roger Hanagriff  - Using AET Strategic Planning & FFA Meeting Manager - This session offers tools you can use as a chapter and, more importantly, set up your officer team to lead the effort! We will cover in this session AET's Strategic Plan system, which also then develops your chapter website calendar of events, and can automatically develop NFFA's National Chapter Award. The second topic will be AET's FFA Meeting Manager, which allows your students to develop a meeting agenda, take minutes, track attendance, which then develops FFA records for your students...automatically! This session is a true time saver!  

Come discover pH is where it is at when it comes to flower color. A hands-on activity that quickly demonstrates this awesome color change. Your students will love getting to the down and dirty of soil pH.

“Breed” more life into your livestock breed lessons with this fun interactive activity. Have students select the perfect mate based on their desires. Bring your thinking cap and plan to be engaged.

Rick Martineau & James Anspach

In this workshop participants will learn how to recognize hazards that can create potential kickback. Participants will learn chainsaw safety, safe chainsaw operation and different chainsaw cutting techniques. Participants will be exposed to both battery and gasoline powered chainsaws and will have the opportunity to actively use a chainsaw on practice logs in this workshop.

Participants will need to wear long pants and close toed shoes, with work boots being preferred. The workshop will be held outdoors.

Plymouth, MA county entomologist Blake Dinius brings you “Amazing Arthropods”, a workshop that introduces you to entomology. In this workshop, you will be introduced to the world of insects, their adaptations, and their role in the ecosystem. 

Virginia Cipolla - Artificial Intelligence is here- and it’s not just for coders or Silicon Valley. For ag teachers, it's a powerful tool that can lighten your mental load, help you plan faster, differentiate more easily, and bring creative thinking back to the forefront of your teaching. But what is AI really? And how do we use it without losing ourselves in the process?

In this practical, real-talk session, we’ll explore how AI acts more like a supercharged administrative assistant than a robot genius—and how that’s actually a good thing. You’ll leave with real examples from ag classrooms, ways to teach students how to use AI responsibly, and the confidence to start experimenting yourself.  Bring your laptops or smart phones!