Fusing Science, Sustainability, and Education

Mobile Agriculture Education Science Lab.

Some projects we are involved in may appear small but have a really big impact.   

For two decades, Holland Colours Americas has been in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation. Our contribution? Supplying the vibrant blue Holcobatch colorant, a small yet crucial ingredient in an innovative educational initiative.

This charitable organization, supported by Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, utilizes a total of six 40 ft. gooseneck trailers throughout the state every school year to bring interactive agriculture-based science to K-8 classrooms. Each lesson on the Mobile Ag Lab focuses on increasing student knowledge of the importance of agriculture and its impact on their daily lives. 

Equipped with over 30 STEM-based science experiments, the 16 certified teachers offer activities designed to emphasize a different aspect of agriculture, including Pennsylvania’s commodities, the environment, biotechnology, food, and fiber. One such experiment is called “Colorful Bean”, in which students learn about the differences in using petroleum (non-renewable) versus non-petroleum (renewable) based resources. 

Using the scientific method, they form a hypothesis, collect data, and draw conclusions through coloring a side-by-side sheet and doing comparisons of petroleum-based versus non-petroleum-based crayons.  Looking at and ranking brightness, flakiness and coverage, the students see and feel how different renewable resources can outweigh non-renewable in various uses. 

At the end of the lesson, our blue colorant is melted with soybean wax to produce a unique crayon for each student to take home.  This part of the lesson lends discussion to different states of matter (namely, solid to liquid to solid) and how temperatures can affect those changes.  

Thanks to the Pennsylvania Friends of Ag for the opportunity to help promote science in school with real world applications! 

Content and photos supplied by Paula Shoop, Elementary Education Specialist, Pennsylvania Friends of Agriculture Foundation