Elementary School students in Marion County participated in a traveling interactive agricultural classroom on wheels this past week.

The 36-foot interactive classroom on wheels gave local third and fourth graders a hands-on look at how plants grow and where their food comes from. The Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (IALF) hosts the Seed Survivor Mobile Classroom, a free, curriculum-based learning experience that teaches elementary students about plant science and the importance of agriculture through hands-on activities. Students rotated through stations featuring interactive displays about growing healthy plants, multimedia and virtual reality learning games, lessons connecting agriculture to food and daily life, and seed planting stations. The mobile classroom visited Northstar Elementary in Knoxville on Tuesday and Friday, Pella Christian Grade School on Wednesday, and Pleasantville Elementary on Thursday.

In 2026, Iowa was one of only three states selected to offer the Nutrient Seed Survivor Mobile Classroom. Each year, the program engages nearly 100,000 students across North America. This marks the second year IALF has partnered with Nutrien to bring the mobile classroom to Iowa schools.