FORRESTON, Ill. —  In one brief visit with third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students, educators and bikers taught a little about agriculture, a little about bike safety and had a lot of fun. And the bike riders did it while raising money for the 19th annual Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) Bike Ride.

Traveling “nature’s roller coaster” on the rolling hills of Stephenson, Carroll, Jo Daviess, Winnebago and Ogle counties, the riders took two different routes, stopping at a number of schools, including Forreston Elementary School, on Sept. 4.

“Funds raised go directly into the program,” said ride co-chairman Charlie Grotevant. “They aren’t used for staff salaries or anything else.

“Funds are used to keep the programs running as they continue to reach more than half a million school children in Illinois each year.”

Visiting the school for the ag education portion of the assembly were Ogle County AITC coordinator Melinda Charbonneau and staff members from the IAA Foundation. They chose several children to participate in a game they call the Wheel of Ag.

The player spins a numbered roulette wheel and then chooses an item on the table with the corresponding number. They then have to decide which ag commodity goes into the manufacture of the product. For example, the student who chose the bag of Fritos determined – with the help of a picture on the bag – that the chips are made from corn.

After playing the game, bike rider Paul Roney talked a bit about bike safety, reminding the students to always wear a bike helmet, wear brightly colored or reflective clothing, install lights on their bikes and always obey the rules of the road.

Rider John Kiefner said he has participated in 10 of the 19 rides. His mountain bike with wide, oversized tires is great on gravel roads, he said, as he often rides between the fields on his Will County farm.

Forreston Principal Travis Heinz said AITC is used extensively in the school.

“Being in a rural community, Ag in the Classroom is near and dear to our hearts,” Heinz said. “We use the program as much as we can.”

Heinz added that area farmers are generous in donating their time to teach about farming and to offer their facilities for tours. For more information on Ag in the Classroom, visit www.agintheclassroom.org