Students Mrs. Michelle Barber’s seventh and eighth grade Introduction to Agriculture class rolled up their sleeves Thursday afternoon and plunged headlong into what, for many, is a can’t-miss, holiday tradition, but with a bit of a twist.
Instead of gingerbread and houses, students used graham crackers to craft their very own miniature farms - complete with silos, barns, fields and other outbuildings.
While it’s a fun activity for her students, Barber said it also helps underscore the importance of securing a diversified customer base when running your own business.
“You have to think about ways to get more customers in your business,” said Barber. “Whether it’s a restaurant or a book store or a maple business, what are some things you can do to attract a different type of customer that might never have gone into your business before?”
A lot of businesses now offer regular events and activities for kids and families, said Barber.
Think a wreath-making class at a Christmas tree farm or perhaps a cake-decorating class at a bakery - anything that creates an additional revenue stream beyond a business’s core means of money-making.
“If you get your kids in there as well you get a totally different group of adults that are coming to your place that might not have before,” Barber said. “That’s so important - especially now when things are so rough for small businesses.”
In addition to graham crackers, Barber’s students had everything from pretzel sticks and marshmallows to Starbursts and Fruit Loops at their fingertips to help decorate their farms, which they’ll continue working on for the next couple of weeks.
Students Mrs. Michelle Barber’s seventh and eighth grade Introduction to Agriculture class used everything from graham crackers and pretzel sticks to Starbursts and Fruit Loops to craft their very own miniature farms - complete with silos, barns, fields and other outbuildings.