Educational programming

Investigate the role farming plays in one of your favourite foods – PIZZA! Take a guided tour of the Dairy Barn to discover the journey of milk into cheese. Tour through the Discovery Centre and follow the journey of grains into dough and meat into pepperoni. Work together to mix and knead dough by hand, top your pizza with local ingredients and finally devour your creations for lunch. Discuss the science and nutrition behind dough fermentation and gluten formation. Lunch will include water or ice tea.

Note: This program can be booked for a maximum of 40 participants

Price: $16.00 / student

Adaptable for any age group.

If you ate today, you can thank a farmer! Discover the role agriculture plays in the creation of the foods you eat every day. Visit the dairy barn to build an understanding on how milk is produced. Follow a wheat kernel from planting to milling to your plate. Learn about how farmers care for chickens and how a hen forms an egg in her body. During a tour of the Discovery Centre, gaze through windows into our hog barn and learn about pork production. Solidify the connection of Farm to Fork by creating a snack made with locally grown and produced ingredients!

Note: Designed to match Grade 10 Geography’s Food From the Land unit

Price: $10.50 / student

Adaptable for any age group.

Learn all about the functional foods and ingredients grown in Manitoba. Get your hands messy by working together to turn grain flour into homemade bread. Each group will mix, knead, and bake dough with different flour combinations. Then sample the different breads to compare the look, smell and flavour difference between white, whole wheat and whole grain bread.

Price: $9.50 / student

Ideal for Middle and Senior years

Formerly called This is our Planet: Understanding Global Warming.

Climate change, greenhouse gases, emissions, carbon footprint….what do these words actually mean? Learn about the different greenhouse gases and how plants, soil, animals and humans each play distinct roles in the cycling of nutrients in the ecosystem. Take a dairy barn and farm tour to understand the connection between farming and green house gases. Discover what scientists, farmers and young adults like you are doing to make the future of our planet healthy and safe for us and generations to come. This program also includes an opportunity for students to engage in some hands on baking in the kitchen!

Price: $10.50 / student

Ideal for Middle and Senior Years.

Explore the science behind delicious and nutritious eggs!  Learn about how a laying hen forms an egg in her body, and conduct “eggs-periments” to match an egg to a hen. Discuss the different ways Manitoba Egg Farmers house and care for their hens and the different steps eggs take at the processing plant before arriving at your grocery store shelf. Wrap up the day by cracking open some eggs to make a snack.

Price: $9.50 / student

Ideal for Early and Middle Years

Note: we are in the processing of updating this program. It is currently unavailable.

Study the signs of a healthy water system and the human impacts on watersheds, Learn how you can be a part of the sustainability of the water ecosystems in your neighbourhood. Get outside and sample water from different sources on the farm, create your own filtration system and perform water tests for phosphates, nitrates and pH. What do the results tell you about the health of the natural ecosystem?

Note: Program only offered from May-October weather permitting

Price: $9.50 / student

Ideal for Middle Years

Unearth the intricate ecosystem of insects and microbes that live in the soil. Take a farm tour around the Glenlea Research Station to see The National Centre for Livestock and the Environment’s Compost and Manure sheds and use your creativity to draw your own soil microorganism.  Finish up the day by making (and eating!) our "Scrumptious Soil Snack".

Price: $9.50 / student

Ideal for Early  Years

Discover the complex journey milk and other dairy products take from the farm to processing plant and ultimately to you! Take in the sights, smells and sounds of a fully functional dairy operation with a guided dairy barn tour. Spend some time learning about the health benefits of dairy products. To round up the day, work together to make homemade creamy ice cream as a treat!

Price: $10.50 / student

Ideal for Early and Middle Years

Examine the secret lives of insects in Manitoba by collecting and examining bugs around the farm. Relate their mouthparts and mobility to the problems and solutions insects can cause for agriculture. Learn about the most beneficial insects and how to invite them into your yard. Draw your own ideal insect for agriculture and enjoy edible soil snacks!

Price: $9.50 / student

Ideal for Early Years

Students will learn about how dairy gets from farm to glass and about the many jobs associated with dairy production. They will extend this knowledge further by turning cream into butter making individual portions to enjoy on crackers. 

• Where Does Your Milk Come From’ presentation
• ‘Butter-in-a-Jar’ activity 

Students will learn about how laying hens are housed and care for in Manitoba and how eggs get from farm to plate. They will also discover how a hen builds an egg in her body by individually building a model egg using craft supplies in the activity led by FFDC staff.

• ‘Extraordinary Eggs’ presentation
• ‘Build-an-Egg’ activity

Students will unearth the intricate ecosystem of organisms and inorganic materials that make up a healthy soil. Select one of two activity options to apply the knowledge gained during the presentation.

• ‘Healthy Soil’ Presentation
• Activity Option 1: ‘Scrumptious Soil’: Students will make a layers ‘soil pudding’ snack discussing the different components of a healthy soil. They will be able to eat their individually prepared snack afterwards.
• Activity Option 2: ‘Draw-Your-Own Soil Organism’: Students will apply the knowledge learned during the presentation to create their own soil organism that will contribute to a healthy soil.
   

Insects are both beneficial and detrimental to farm operations. Students will learn about different types of insects, their body parts and how they function in the ecosystem of a farm. They will then apply that to create their own farm insect that will either beneficial or damaging to the farm.

• ‘Incredible Farm Insect’ presentation
• ‘Draw-Your-Own Farm Insect’ activity

Students will learn about how laying hens are cared for in Manitoba, about different breeds of hens and how their environment and diet affect the eggs they lay. They will then put on their detective caps for a crime scene style activity using the knowledge gained during the presentation, their problem solving skills, and provided evidence (hints) to match the cracked eggs to the correct suspect (hen).

• ‘Extraordinary Eggs’ presentation
• ‘Egg CSI’ activity
   

Students will discover how crops are grown in Manitoba, what varieties are popular and what type of environment fosters optimum growth. The class will work together to decide on the variable and constant factors used to sprout seeds and prepare samples. They will then start their week-long experiment to see what factor results in the best growth for a seed by tracking changes on their ‘Experiment Observation Chart’.

• ‘Grain Grain Exchange’ presentation
• ‘Seed Sprouting Science’ activity

Students will discover the relationship between greenhouse gases, farming and sustainability during this program. A brief presentation will cover the basics of sustainability in farming and the ‘Guardians of the Grasslands’ documentary will challenge their pre-conceived notions. Lastly, the Carbon Cycle game will help students visualize how carbon moved through the Grasslands of Canada and how modern farming can increase carbon sequestration.

• ‘Greenhouse Gases in Agriculture’ presentation
• ‘Guardians of the Grasslands’ documentary viewing
• ‘Carbon Cycle Game – Grasslands Edition’ activity

Students will learn how calcium intake directly affects their bone health both now and into their future. They will then apply the knowledge gained in the presentation and their math skills to build various snacks that will lead to their recommended daily calcium intake.

• ‘Calcium for Bone Health’ presentation
• ‘Calcium Rich Snack Builder’ activity

Students will discover the role agriculture plays in the creation of the foods they eat every day. ‘The Real Dirt on Farming’ presentation discusses the accurate and balances information on hot topics in agriculture and food production including GMOs, hormones, animals and more. Students will test the knowledge gained during the tour and presentation with a friendly game of Kahoot… because who doesn’t love some competition!?

• ‘The Real Dirt on Farming’ presentation
• ‘Real Dirt’ Kahoot! game – based on the information learned in the presentation, students will compete in an individual Kahoot! game 

Students will discover the relationship between farming and sustainability during this program. A brief presentation will cover the basics of sustainability in modern farming and the ‘Guardians of the Grasslands’ documentary will challenge their pre-conceived notions. Lastly, the Carbon Cycle game will help students visualize how carbon moved through the Grasslands of Canada and how modern farming can actually increase carbon sequestration.

• ‘Sustainability in Agriculture’ presentation
• ‘Guardians of the Grasslands’ documentary viewing
• ‘Carbon Cycle Game – Grasslands Edition’
   

This recipe was created in early 2020. The intention was to create an easy recipe that highlighted as many made-in-Manitoba and made in Canada products as possible. These bars can be made using over 50% local ingredients, but that’s not even the best part... These granola bars are so tasty that during the recipe-testing phase, our staff COULD NOT STOP gobbling these up! We hope you enjoy this new recipe as much as we do.

Discovery Centre Granola Bars

Learn about how Manitoba chicken farmers care for and raise their broiler birds, and the nutrient profiles of chicken by completing this fun crossword! Hints to answer the clues can be found on Manitoba Chicken's webpages - links included.

Chirpy Chicken Crossword

This online adaptation of one of our favourite hands-on learning activities is a great way for kids to exercise their critical thinking skills and test their knowledge on crops grown in Manitoba. Kids will match the name of the crop to an image of the seed, the plant and a food made from it!

Guess That Grain

In-home food waste is an issue that is talked about more and more. With this activity sheet, you will unscramble the words and find a hidden message about avoidable food waste in Canada.

Food Waste Word Scramble

This word search is all about the environment and sustainability related to agriculture. It includes some explanation of what people working to produce and process food, fibre, and material do to improve sustainability.

Environment Word Search

This colouring page challenges kids to colour in the foods depending on what food category they best fit into. It's a fun way to get their minds working as we approach a new school year.

Colour the Food

This crossword is all about laying hens and eggs! If you need some hints, unscramble the words on the second page!

Extraordinary Egg Crossword

Did you know that farm animals have different names depending on their age and stage of life! With these colouring sheets, you can find out the various names for cattle, hogs and poultry throughout their life cycles and then colour in the page!

What are Animals Called? colouring sheets

FFDC has been making homemade ice cream with daycare and school groups for years. It’s always one of the most interesting and tasty activities for children! We typically use an ice cream making ball, but the popularity of the recipe inspired us to adapt it for a home environment. Please Enjoy!

Ice Cream in a Bag

Have fun while learning a little bit about the crops grown in Manitoba by completing this Manitoba Crop Crossword! If you have trouble figuring out the answer, the second page has helpful hints!  

Manitoba Crop Crossword

Use some creativity to draw the flowers on the plant stems and colour in the bees and hive! Plus enjoy some fun bee facts from beemaid.com

Bee Colouring Page & Fun Facts

This word search is all about dairy farming and food! Find all the words from the word bank. Once you finish, the remaining letters will spell out the answer to the riddle "What do you call a cow in your backyard?". This resource also includes a word index with definitions of the words! 

Dairy Hidden Message Word Find

Dairy Hidden Message Index

Harley Siemens, farmer and part owner of Siemens Farms in Rosenort, Manitoba guides us through his aviary-style laying hen barn. Siemens Farms was established in 1963. The state-of-the-art barn shown in this tour was completed in 2019 and is chock full of amazing technology! Harley has worked at the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre (FFDC) since 2015 as our Exhibit and Display Coordinator. To find out more information on Siemens Farms, check out their website: siemensfarms.ca

Laying hen farm tour at Siemens Farms video

We know how tough it is to sift through all the information available to us, especially when researching agriculture. This is a simple curated list of trusted sources of information on Canadian agriculture and food production can help you decipher fact from fiction.

FFDC's Trusted Sources of Information

In 2018, The Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre teamed up with Maple Leaf Foods in Winnipeg and Manitoba Pork Council to launch our version of a food production video. This video follows the steps and care Maple Leaf puts into creating their delicious bacon.

Where It's Made - Maple Leaf Bacon

Ever wonder how your food gets to your plate? What role does Manitoba take in producing food? This short documentary will bring you into the Winkler Meats processing plant to discover how they makes their world famous farmer sausage.

Where It's Made - Winkler Meats Farmer Sausage

This is a perfect accompanying resource for the Signature Bread Recipe! It's fun, easy and most importantly gets some energy out... can you say dance party?!

Butter in a Jar

Baking bread is one of our favourite food activities at FFDC. Usually, we would have students make 3 or 4 different kinds of loafs using different combinations of flour. For example: 100% white, 100% whole grain, 50% white and 50% whole grain, etc. For your at-home learning use whatever combination you enjoy the most. You can always return to the recipe and try a new combination next time! 

FFDC's Signature Bread

The pigs at the Glenlea Research Station often get baths to ensure they stay nice and clean. In this short video, you can see two staff members giving a bath to a couple of sows (female pigs) at the farm. 

Pig bath time at Glenlea Research Station video

While FFDC was closed, the staff of the Glenlea Research Station (the farm where FFDC is located) are working just as hard as ever to care for the animals. The Discovery Centre has many exhibits that showcase modern Canadian agriculture. We would like to invite you to check out some of the exhibits and barns, through this virtual tour that highlights some of the coolest things at FFDC including the windows directly into the hog barn!

Virtual tour of the Bruce D. Campbell Farm and Food Discovery Centre video

If you love pizza... you can thank a Canadian farmer! Almost all the ingredients in this delicious recipe can be grown and raised right here in Canada. Learn about the role Canadian Famers play in the ingredients, discover some fun food science facts, make easy and delicious dough from scratch, top with your favourite local toppings, and enjoy your creation. What’s not to love?

FFDC's Signature Pizza

This relay race at FFDC that models all the steps bees take when making honey. With this resource you can create your own version at home! Answer the pre-activity questions and then watch a short video. Then enjoy some crafting time when you create all of the tools you’ll need to become a bee. Once you’ve completed all of the crafts, set up your Amazing Bee Race and have fun!

The Amazing Bee Race

Make FFDC's Signature Pumpkin Hemp Heart Muffins and learn a little something about local food production! For the past 4 years, this has been a staple recipe that teachers request repeatedly as their food activity during field trips. While there are quite a few ingredients, the recipe is very forgiving for errors making it the perfect recipe for bakers that are just beginning their baking adventures.

FFDC's Signature Pumpkin Hemp Heart Muffins

This resource helps you and your kids conduct a fun science experiment with supplies you may already have around the house! The goal is to try to get a seed to sprout in different growing conditions and to write down what happens, similar to what scientists do in a laboratory. 

Seed Sprouting Science

Make FFDC's signature smoothie bowl base, get creative and top your bowl beautifully with nutritious toppings, and discover why we call these "Manure Milkshakes".

Manure Milkshake Smoothie Bowls

Out of sanitizing wipes? No Problem! FFDC is a certified commercial kitchen space due to the food preparation we do with school groups. As such, we are required to prepare and have counter-top sanitizer available to clean the tables and counters. This is how we make our mixture based on guidelines from our Certified Public Health Inspector and staff experience. Please read the disclaimer in the document and take care whenever using chemicals or mixing your own products.

Easy and Effective Surface Sanitizer

You've probably made a gingerbread house or cottage before... maybe you've even made a train or car.. but have you ever made a barn?! FFDC has created a gingerbread barn stencil for you to use at home. Finding pre-made kits right now is almost impossible, but making your own gingerbread is fairly simple and DEFINITELY fun. If you make your own gingerbread barn, tag FFDC in a social media post or send us an e-mail with your creation! We'd love to see how creative you got with decorating... and hope it turns out better than the one our staff made. Happy Holidays everyone, stay safe!

Gingerbread Barn Stencil

The FFDC crew have created some awesome at-home halloween fun! Make some jack-o-lanterns using our pumpkin carving stencils, save the seeds and make our Family Favourite Pumpkin Recipes (FFDC's Roasted Pumpkin Seeds & Pumpkin Hemp Heart Muffins), and dress-up paper farm animals using paper costumes. We hope you enjoy these activities!

Pumpkin Carving Stencils

Farm Animals Halloween Dress Up

FFDC's Fall Favourite Recipes

Technology is everywhere on the farm! Many new pieces of tech are used to help farmers improve sustainability! Find out about some cool tech by completing this Farm Technology Crossword!

Farm Technology Crossword