About 180 elementary school children learned a thing or two about agriculture Tuesday with some help from The Great White North.</p><p>The Seed Survivor, a "Seedmobile" filled with educational games, visited the campus of R.M. Miano Elementary School and taught students about plants, the water cycle, soil and other agricultural concepts. The Seedmobile is a product of Calgary, Alberta, Canada-based Agrium.</p><p>Sergio de Alba, a sixth-grade teacher, said the Seedmobile reinforced what Miano students learn all year round. The school has 10 vegetable and fruit gardens and counting.</p><p>"It connects the lessons in the gardens and it gives them a chance to learn in a different way," de Alba said.</p><p>As the students climbed into the bus, they were met with touch-screen, augmented reality and interactive games and quizzes. Also, a model of a town came complete with a model rainstorm and water cycle using real water.</p><p>De Alba said the Merced County Farm Bureau spread the word about the Seedmobile and he requested a visit.</p><p>Judy Craig, who led the tours and plant lessons, said the Seedmobile has been in California since November. It makes its way around the United States and Canada throughout the year.</p><p>"It's been busy," she said.</p><p>The bus' touch-screen games asked multiple-choice and matching questions, and graded on accuracy and speed. The augmented reality game had the children balancing the nitrates, phosphorus and water going into their imaginary crops.</p><p>Third-grade teacher Cindy Gentry said her class is happy to get out of the classroom once in a while. She said her students learned where their food comes from, the importance of protecting land from contamination and how farm animals fit into the cycle.</p><p>"It's part of science, and unfortunately they don't get a lot of science during the year," Gentry said. "So, I thought it would be a nice hands-on activity."</p><p>De Alba said though amid agriculture, many of Miano's students are "city kids."</p><p>"That's why it's so important," de Alba said. "Even though they're surrounded by farms, a lot of them don't know much about them.</p><p>"It's a shame."</p><p>Enterprise reporter Thaddeus Miller can be reached at (209) 388-6562 or by email at tmiller@losbanos</p><p>enterprise.com.