Agriculture and Rural Life Teaching Materials for Educators

The following sketches are very useful for educators in teaching children about land use change over time.

Four Stages of Farm Development.
"Four Stages in the Making of a Farm" Turner, the Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase, 1849, a pattern of settlement repeated in nearly every New York State community.
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Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Farmer Boy Project:
Area representatives make an impact on local kids at South Seneca Elementary School, teaching them about rural life. View Success Story here.

4th Graders from South Seneca Elementary School at the Interlaken Farmer's Museum watch as Howard Barrows of Interlaken, NY makes cedar shingles on the shaving horse.

Agricultural History Teaching Kits:

To coincide with the Farmer Boy project, the Interlaken Historical Society applied for and received a grant from the Nelson B. Delevan Foundation for production of a wooden teaching trunk built for the 4th grade teachers and students in the South Seneca School District. The trunks were made of wood from a local wood lot, constructed by a local craftsman and decorated with original art by local artist Christopher Wolff. Contained within the trunks will be lesson plans and paper and electronic copies of original documents that will be used for instruction in the history of agriculture and rural life in Seneca County, New York.

Wheat History in Seneca County:
Curriculum was developed for 4th grade teachers to use, based on the following outline:
Preparing The Soil: 
       Drainage, Plowing, Harrowing, Picking Stone
Planting the Seed:
       Broadcasting, Wheel barrow Seeder, Drill
Harvesting the Crop:
       Sickle, Cradle, Rake, Bundle, and Load
Processing: 
     Flailing, Treading, Thresing, Cleaning
Appendix:
Farm Products and Related Industries
in Seneca County in 1850

The curriculum was supplemented by a field trip to the Interlaken Farmer's Museum, where the kids can see and use many of the implements discussed above. Contact Allan Buddle, Interlaken Farmer's Museum at 607-532-4213 for more information.