Too much information?
Whether teaching our children about farming and agriculture might be a little too much for them to handle.
I recently interviewed Wanda Williamson from the Canadian Agricultural Museum in Ottawa about the educational programs they offer for young children. Wanda was kind enough to give me a tour of the museum and tell me about the various events they host to teach their visitors (mainly young families and elementary classes) about agriculture and livestock farming.
Walking through the farm and museum was interesting – I saw the dairy cows and was told how we get milk. I went through the bee exhibit and learned about the production of honey. In the demonstration kitchen I was shown how to make bread. Then I went into the barn with the pigs, sheep, cows and rabbits and was told how last night’s dinner actually got to my plate. It got even more graphic. A leather-tanning exhibit was being held that day and I met a tanner who, while talking with me, was handling a skunk’s hide and telling me how she was going to turn it into a pair of mitts. She had hides from coyotes, fox, beaver, horses and even an elephant at her display all as examples of how leather is made and used.
Though I found my weak stomach turning a bit watching these dead animal pelts get pulled and stretched and sewn into clothing, I wondered how the children (for whom this exhibit is really meant) would react!
My tour through the Agricultural Museum opened my eyes – though I was shocked at first by how much they teach little kids I realized they did so while emphasizing why it’s important to use as many parts of the animals as possible. The guides emphasized the great respect we should all have for animals and the importance of using all parts of an animal once it’s been killed. For instance, the tanner was making warm winter clothing out of animal pelts that were already found dead. She declared this a “celebration of the animal’s spirit.” In the livestock barn there were examples of how even the smallest parts of an animal’s body can be used to make things like marshmallows, band-aids, toothpaste and much more.
The museum’s goal was to emphasize respect for animals as well as to educate children about natural foods, where they come from and how they contribute to a healthy diet (see Together Family, Spring 2011 for more on this).
What do you think? Is it ever too early to start teaching kids about where their hamburgers come from? Are there things you would prefer to hide from your children until they’re a little older?
I wonder if vegetarianism should also be part of the curriculum?
