ENEws Fall 2010 Header
Happy Fall    
Below is an autumn poem to enjoy, free web resources that can be used in the classroom, upcoming ICN sessions and two places to visit in a single day in the Heritage Area.  Congratulations to everyone who received a bus grant this year.  A total of $10,200 was allocated to 36 Iowa schools in only four weeks!

If you are still looking for places to visit, please consider contacting the following three partner sites; each of whom now offer their own bus grant programs.  Clayton County Conservation & Motor Mill, Waterloo Center for the Arts, Calkin's Nature Center and Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum.


Theme in Yellow
Can your class figure out what agricultural product the poem is talking about after hearing just the first four lines?
I SPOT the hills
With yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last day of October
When dusk is fallen
Children join hands
Singing ghost songs
  And love to the harvest moon;
I am a jack-o-lantern
  With terrible teeth
    And the children know
                                            I am fooling.

                                            - Carl Sandburg 



Angi Reid             
Education & Interpretation Manager
Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area 
In This Issue
Wapsipinicon Mill Museum
Web Resources
Heartland Acres Agribition Center
ICN Courses Available
Wapsipinicon Mill Museum

Built in 1867, the Wapsipinicon Mill in Independence, Iowa is a colossal six-story building overlooking the Wapsipinicon River.  Filled with historical mill machinery and artifacts, the mill has become a living classroom where students of all ages can learn about the milling process.

Activities at the Wapsi Mill Museum include:
  • docent led tours
  • corn sifting and other hands-on activities
  • lunch in the park
Some words used by fourth graders touring the mill were; "cool", "awesome", "wow" and "fun".  The mill is open for tours May through September. Admission is free but donations are welcomed.  For more information visit: buchanancountyhistory.com or call 319.334.4616.  

Web Resources
A Look at Iowa Agriculture: Created by Ag in the Classroom, this printable Iowa Ag Fact Sheet is perfect for the middle school classroom.  Other resources on this website include virtual tours and games.

Chip Tracker:  Lays Potato Chips now offers a "chip tracker" feature where students can find out what farm grew the potato chips they are eating.  Pretty Cool!
Heartland Acres Agribition Center
Located just off of U.S. Highway 20 and a few miles west of the Wapsipinicon Mill is the new Heartland Acres Agribition Center.  Dedicated to preserving and telling the story of American agriculture, this ever changing interpretive center features; live animals, hands-on exhibits, a one-room school house, hayrack rides and a fiberglass cow which can be milked.

Presentations can be customized to fit curriculum. Schools are encouraged to visit both the Agribition Center and the Wapsipinicon Mill while visiting the Independence area.


Admission to the center is $3.00 per student for a group tour.
 


For more information or to register for a field trip call 319.332.0123 or visit: www.heartlandacresusa.com 
ICN Courses Available

Be sure to sign up for these upcoming ICN sessions. Visit: www.k12connections.iptv.org to register.  

Life On The Prairie
November 10
Grades 3-6
Provided by Polk County Conservation

To Be A Seed
April
Grades K-2
Provided by Polk County Conservation

Iowa Capitol Virtual Tour
Various Dates October thru November
Grades 4-6
Provided by Iowa State Capitol Tour Guides



 These sessions are free of charge! Make sure to check out IPTV K-12 Connections for more opportunities.
 
 
For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of
gathering together.  For nature,
it is a time of sowing; of scattering
abroad. 
 
Edwin Teale
NPSSilos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area is one of 49 federally designated heritage areas in the nation and is an Affiliated Area of the National Park Service. Through the network of sites, programs and events, the Heritage Area's mission is to interpret farm life, agribusiness and rural communities - past and present.