Living Ag Classroom Gets Underway | Video

Evan Kruegel | 1/15/2013

It`s no secret that kids like pizza. But today, they learned that every single ingredient they find on their favorite pizza can be made right here in North Dakota.

"Most of these kids don`t realize that their food comes from somewhere besides the grocery store. So it`s important that they see these seeds and realize we can plant them, and that`s where our food comes from. Not the grocery store, but from the farm and field,” said NDSU Extension Agent Mary Froelich.

The students visited various stations, and learned some interesting facts along the way.

"At the first station we had to answer questions like, ‘What`s a strange food Europeans like to put on their pizza?’ And it was tuna, so that`s pretty gross," said fourth grader Abby Olson.

Volunteers say the expo is a critical tool in teaching proper nutrition.

"I think it’s really important because they`re developing habits right now that will help them for the rest of their life. Good healthy eating habits and learning where there food comes from at this age are really important,” said Extension Agent Marcia Hellandsaas.

But it`s also key in showing students how easy it is to grow their own food.

"We`re talking about both the nutritional value, but also growing our plants. We`re looking at seeds and seeing which types of vegetables grow from those seeds and then the kids have mystery boxes where they put their hands in and try to figure out which vegetables they would put on their pizza," said Froelich.

At the end of the day, the expo is a win-win for students and teachers alike. Organizers get to teach students important topics, and the kids get to learn some interesting facts, and eat some pizza.

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