UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Visitors to the Family Learning Hub at Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 17-19, may be so dazzled by delicious foods, exciting games and exotic animals to notice that they're making an important investment.

But as this year's Family Learning Hub theme -- "Building Tomorrow's Families and Communities with Today's Choices" -- attests, Penn State Cooperative Extension educators know that families have a prominent role in Pennsylvania's economic success and quality of life.

The Family Learning Hub, located on Main Street between West 8th and 9th Streets on the Ag Progress Days grounds, includes the Family Room, the Youth Building, the Farm Animal Learning Center and Shaver's Creek Environmental Center. Coordinator Cathy Bowen explains that activities in the Family Hub area show Penn State's commitment to building up families.

"The exhibits in the Family Room present an opportunity for everyone -- children and adults -- to learn something they can use now to enhance daily living," says Bowen, associate professor of agricultural and extension education. "In addition, several of the exhibits encourage visitors to establish habits that can have a powerful influence on families' emotional, physical and financial well-being."

In the Family Room, children can earn a degree in good hygiene at "Handwashing University" or play the Financial Pachinko game at the "Plan Your Savings for Life" exhibit, while parents can get family meal-planning suggestions at "Healthy Eating and Physical Activity:

Helping Your Child -- Tips for Parents." "New Horizons for Older Adult Involvement in Community Life" will explain the need for senior citizens to be involved in community activities.

Other exhibits will include "Family Matters," "Other Lands, Other Cultures," "Home Food Preservation," "Pesticides: What to Look For" and the ever-popular "Treasure Hunt." At the Youth Building, a 4-H embryology exhibit will enable children to see eggs hatch into live chicks. Youngsters also can get information about 4-H clubs, and special activities will give kids a chance to earn a fun prize.

Family Room food demonstrations scheduled throughout the three-day exposition reflect this year's theme of "Eat Smart -- Stay Healthy." The hourly presentations include "Get Mooving in the Morning with Calcium-Rich Foods," "Simple Tips to Get Calcium in Your Diet," "Going Lite on Lunch with a Wrap and Salad," "Smoothies: 30 Seconds to Great Nutrition!" "Low Carbohydrate Vegetables," "How to Help Picky Eaters Become Healthy Eaters," "Teenagers in the Kitchen," "Go with Whole Grains!" and "Finger Food Favorites."

Shaver's Creek Environmental Center will hold talks and demonstrations featuring live raptors, snakes, turtles and frogs, giving children a closer look at native Pennsylvania wildlife species. Goats, sheep, miniature horses and other animals will be on display at the Farm Animal Learning Center, hosted by Pennsylvanians for Responsible Use of Animals.

Elsewhere at Ag Progress Days, children also can safely scale 40-foot-tall trees with ropes and harness in the "Kids Climb," located on Main Street near the Equine Exhibits Building. At the Crops and Soils Tent on E. 5th Street, kids and adults can find their way through the A-Maze-N Corn, a maze cut from a corn field that's accessible for wheelchairs and baby strollers.

Penn State's Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on Route 45. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 17; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Aug. 18; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Aug. 19. Admission and parking are free.

For more information, call 800-PSU-1010 through Aug. 19, or visit the Ag Progress Days Web site at http://apd.cas.psu.edu.

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EDITORS: Contact Cathy Bowen at 814-863-7870 or by e-mail at cbowen@psu.edu.

Writer/Editor: Gary Abdullah Office 814-863-2708