More than 400 fourth-grade Frederick County Public School (FCPS) students from four elementary schools took part in The Wonderful World of Grains field trips, hosted by the University of Maryland Extension (UME) Frederick County office at the historic Rose Hill Manor Park and Museums. For many students, this was their first time visiting a farm—an unforgettable opportunity to experience agriculture in action.
The field trips, held from May 5–10, featured multiple interactive learning stations that brought the agricultural journey of grains to life. All throughout the week, students could be seen roaming through the barns on a tractor scavenger hunt, running up and down the field in a grains relay race, and digging their hands into buckets of grains and ooey gooey corn putty. At one of the stations, the students even had a chance to make and taste their own whole grain pizzas.
Many students noted how their favorite part of the day had been getting to pet the friendly goats Tundra and Starling, brought to the farm by Frederick County 4-H Volunteer, Rhiannon Huscha. “This was my second year helping with the grains field trips with the University of Maryland. I really enjoyed educating the kids about goats and I know that the goats enjoyed all the extra attention too,” said Huscha.
“This is the kind of experience that sticks with students for years,” said Anna Glenn, 4-H educator at UME Frederick County and coordinator for The Wonderful World of Grains Field Trips. “For us, it’s about more than just grains—it’s about building a connection to the local agriculture community and helping kids to see, taste, and feel what agriculture is really about.”
“Our students loved the field trip and enjoyed getting to connect what they’ve been learning in PE, Science, and Food Science to what they saw on the farm,” said Laryssa Rupert, 4th grade teacher at Butterfly Ridge. “They continued talking about the field trip for the rest of the week.”
The program was a collaboration between the University of Maryland Extension Frederick County office and Frederick County Parks and Recreation, whose educators helped to plan and run the stations. FCPS Nutrition Services provided fresh apples for students to enjoy during their visit, and the Maryland Soybean Board donated soy-based crayons for each student to take home as a fun and educational keepsake. Transportation and station materials were provided through the Frederick City Community Promotion Grant and the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board.
Rose Hill Manor and Museums, where the field trips were held, was once the home of Maryland’s first elected governor, Thomas Johnson. Amanda Venable, Museum Manager, notes that the park is open for free to the public from dusk to dawn every day and she invites families to come and explore all their exhibits and beautiful property. The property features a manor house, icehouse, cabin, barns, gardens, streams, walking paths, and a working farm.
For more information on agricultural education programs in Frederick County, contact the University of Maryland Extension Frederick County office at 301-600-1594 or visit https://extension.umd.edu/locations/frederick-county/local-4-h-youth-education/.