Growing curiosity

Wooden windmills came together Aug. 1 as children learned how New Mexico farmers once turned wind into water. 

The activity was part of Ag Wagon, the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum’s weekly youth education program. Museum leaders say a recently awarded $10,000 Rural Roots Grant will help expand the program with upgraded projects while introducing more families to New Mexico’s agricultural heritage. For instructional coordinator Paul Stewart, the best lessons happen when children learn by doing. 

“We build a lot of projects with it,” Stewart said. “Our activities are usually hands-on, where the kids come and build something and learn something as they’re doing it.” 

During the Aug. 1 program, children assembled model windmills while learning how early windmills pumped groundwater for crops and livestock throughout New Mexico. Stewart said the activity also introduced concepts such as aquifers, engineering and water conservation while demonstrating why water has always been essential to agriculture in the state. 

Hands-on projects leave a lasting impression because children connect what they build with what they learn, Stewart said. 

“I think that’s how it stays with them,” he said. “You give them a project, something to build, they’re going to get into it, and they’re going to soak up a lot more knowledge from that.” 

The Rural Roots Grant will allow the museum to upgrade activity materials and expand the weekly program, according to the Friends of the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum. Sandy Kosteleky, a board member with the Friends organization, said the funding will strengthen an already successful program while helping more families discover it. 

“It is enabling us to improve what was already a good program,” Kosteleky said. “We’re able to improve projects and also share the word about the event so people know it’s here.” 

Parents worked alongside their children throughout the morning, helping assemble windmills, comparing finished projects and learning together as families explored New Mexico’s agricultural history. 

“It’s also a great family activity,” Stewart said. “You don’t drop your kids off and come back and get them in an hour. You sit and do this project with them, and you’re going to learn something too.” 

Kosteleky said those shared experiences help children understand how agriculture continues to shape everyday life. 

“Agriculture affects every single one of us,” Kosteleky said. “The food on your table goes back to agriculture. The clothes you’re wearing go back to agriculture.” 

Stewart hopes families leave with a greater appreciation for agriculture and the role it continues to play across New Mexico. 

“I hope they take away how much agriculture is in their world,” he said. “We get very disconnected from our food, and this can kind of show them where it comes from.” 

Ag Wagon is held Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. Weekly activities are posted on the museum’s Facebook page, and admission is included with regular museum admission. Families may also borrow a museum pass through the Branigan Memorial Library. More information is available at nmfarmandranchmuseum.org.