Plants: Farms Feed Us

25 April 2015 / 2 comments



Hello!  I am Tami Steele from Kamp Kindergarten.  I am excited to be a part of this wonderful group of teachers working together on this blog.


I grew up in rural Georgia.  A big part of our summer revolved around harvesting and preserving the crops we grew. My daddy and grandaddy both always had big gardens.  They planted acres of corn to feed the chickens and pigs.  I learned about canning and freezing fruits and vegetables; making jams, jellies and preserves; and drying apples from my mother and both my grandmothers.

Many of my fondest childhood memories are of the time spent on the back porch with my family shelling beans and peas or snapping green beans.  The smells of the fresh vegetables were amazing. The big back porch had 2 swings and several rocking chairs. We would be so busy laughing and talking, rocking and swinging, that it didn't even seem like work. The time we spent together was wonderful.  The delicious farm fresh food was a bonus. 


I no longer have my parents and grandparents, but I am so thankful for the rich country background I have because of their hard work and teachings.  Some children today have a farm background, but many do not. They have never smelled fresh corn as it was shucked and silked.  They have never had purple thumbs and fingers from shelling purple hull peas.  They have never felt the sting of the acid in tomatoes as they are peeled. 

I have always enjoyed sharing my love for farms and teaching about farms.  Children are excited to learn about farms.  In this post I am sharing about a program that helps children learn about agriculture, a children's book about growing corn, a corn themed art activity, a free apple themed resource, and an additional apple themed resource.  I hope you find this information helpful.

Feed My School for a Week


 

An article in a recent issue of Georgia Magazine tells about a program proposed by the Gary Black, the state Commissioner of Agriculture.  This exciting program is called Feed My School for a Week.  Participating schools team up with Georgia farmers to serve locally grown food in the school cafeteria.  The program is now in its third year.  At least 75% of the food served in the participating cafeteria that week is Georgia Grown. While much of the focus is on produce because of the push to serve more fruits and vegetables in school lunches, the program isn't limited to produce.  Some farms provide beef and sausage to local systems.  One system even used Georgia shrimp in a low country boil.  Can you imagine a low country boil in the school cafeteria? 

Farmers and school officials alike call the program a "win-win situation" because the food is fresher and more nutritious, it supports the local economy, and it teaches children about agriculture.  Proponents of the program see the value of getting children interested in agribusiness and nutrition at an early age.  Students have field trip opportunities, try out recipes, attend agricultural expos, and participate in agricultural writing contests and agricultural art contests.  


Corn Aplenty

by Dana Meachen Rau

illustrated by Melissa Iwai

 



Corn Aplenty  is an easy to read book that lets your little learners join two children following a crop of corn from the time the seed is planted through the harvest.  The colorful illustrations are simple, but detailed enough to provide a realistic depiction.  This book is suitable for emergent readers.


Bubble Wrap Corn Art Activity

This fun and easy art activity uses inexpensive art supplies you probably already have in your classroom.

You will need: 
  • bubble wrap
  • yellow paint 
  • paint brushes
  • blue foam sheets (or construction paper)
  • green foam sheets (or construction paper)
  • glue (bottled glue will work better than glue sticks)

1.  Cut out a piece of bubble wrap shaped like an ear of corn.  I did not use a pattern; I just did a freehand cutting.  I made mine small enough that I could use the small pieces of foam for the corn shucks.  You may make yours larger if you wish.

2.  Put the bubble wrap shape (flat side down) on old newspaper.  Put very little paint on the tip of the brush and dab it on the bubbles.  




3.  Cut two pieces of green foam to make the corn shucks.  Again, I did not use a pattern.   Before painting, I used the bubble wrap shape to help determine the size I needed for the shucks. 

 


4.  Glue the bubble wrap corn shape to a large piece of blue foam. 

5.  Glue the shucks over the bubble wrap corn.





Apple Harvest Friends Dice Add the Room (Sums to 10)

FREEBIE

 
 
 

Apple Harvest Friends Dice Add the Room  is a FREE apple themed resource from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.   This activity gets your learners out of their seats, moving about the classroom while developing addition fluency. Dice Add the Room activities take the popular Add the Room activity to another level. Learners use dice graphics to determine the addition equation represented by the number of dots on the dice.The activity cards and the recording page have matching apple harvest themed graphics.

I hope you and your little learners enjoy this activity.



Apple Fun with Friends Domino Add the Room (Sums of 0 to 10)

 

Apple Fun with Friends Domino Add the Room is another apple themed resource from my TpT store that gets your learners engaged while acquiring addition fluency.  Like the Dice Add the Room resource, the Domino Add the Room resource takes the Add the Room activities to another level.  Learners use a domino graphic to determine the equation represented by the number of dots on domino. This resource has 5 five sets domino add the room cards and recording pages.  The cards and recording pages have matching apple themed graphics. 


Have fun at the farm!    


2 comments:

  1. I grew up on a farm also, so enjoyed reading your post. What a clever use of bubble wrap!
    Sebrina

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Sebrina. It is good to talk to another farm girl. :-)

    I am happy you like the craftivity. I hope it is useful to you .

    Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete

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