Put on your straw hat and grab a pitchfork -- it's time to go
down on the farm! These activities -- centered around pigs, corn,
milk, and more -- are guaranteed to make your students "hoot and holler"!
Activities for all ages!
First and second grade students of the Blue Pod at Oak View Elementary
School in Fairfax, Virginia, took responsibility for some very special
guests in their classroom. They were the "foster parents" to some
baby chicks! The chicks hatched as their "parents" watched. Soon
a farmer would take the little ones -- the chicks, that is! -- and
Mrs. Bui's students would write stories about their experiences
as temporary "chicken farmers."
Anyone can read the students' stories by paying a visit
to How Chicks Grow,
Oak View Elementary School. Shannon, one of Bui's students, says,
"I was so surprised when I saw the little chicks pop open. I think
they had a nice time here. We made a brooder for the chicks. We
got to hold the chicks. I liked the chicks. But, they need to be
with their moms. Before they were born, they are called Embryos.
You have a nice time with chicks. They're very cute and fluffy."
If you're not quite ready to adopt a chick, try one of these other
farm-related activities...
Language arts -- book reviews. What could be more fitting as
a language arts component to your harvest or farming unit than the
adorable story of Charlotte's Web by E. B. White? All of the
typical farm animals are present in this tale, but they are not just
moving about the barnyard -- they're talking! Read the story as a
group chapter book or as you decide. Then consider creating a Web
page to post your students' reviews and summaries of the book like
these two examples: Charlotte's
Web and Charlotte's
Web. Or send your students' reviews to sites that accept student
submissions like Book
Reviews for Kids by Kids.
Science -- pig care. If you don't happen to have a pig farm
next door, then this site is definitely for you! Farmtastic
Voyage takes you on a tour of a pork producing farm in Iowa
with two young farmers, Bethany and Michael. Your students will
learn about what pigs eat, how to care for them, and how their owners
keep them comfortable. There are many pictures to illustrate the
ideas presented. You could have your students keep track of all
of the facts they learn during their tour in a "pig handbook." At
the end of your voyage, ask a few questions and allow the students
to refer to their "handbooks" to answer them!
Science -- uses of corn. Known as "maize" to Native Americans,
corn continues to be a popular vegetable among children, and this
Web site will help you to share its story with your class. Korn
for Kids has informational pages that address the history of corn
and its many uses and nutritional benefits. Did you know that corn
is the primary ingredient in many dry pet foods? To prove just how
many different foods contain corn, have your students print and complete
the "Corn Word Scramble." To practice their label-reading skills,
on an assigned day have them bring in a grocery item from home that
has corn in it. They will be "a-maized" by the surprising versatility
of plain old corn!
Science -- scientific experimentation. Bring a crop of corn
into your classroom with a ton of activities from Kids CORNer. This "bountiful" set of twelve experiments to try with
corn comes from the Corn World Web site. Use the experiments to
show your students why kernels of corn pop when they are heated,
where corn is grown, and how plants contribute to the making of
plastic. You will even find a set of review questions with each
activity to see just how well your budding scientists have been
paying attention! This is the perfect site to complement a study
of the scientific method. As you perform the experiments, point
out the steps to follow: hypothesis, procedure, data collection,
and conclusion. You could even have your students make "lab reports"
that identify these steps.
Language arts -- organizing information using Venn-diagrams. Kidz Korner is a great resource from the Michigan Department of Agriculture.
Here your students may see what is offered at a county fair, read
the stories of kid-farmers, or look at pictures of gardens, dairy
farms, or farming families. They might read about dairy farming in
Michigan or play a farm animal memory game. If you teach young children,
be sure to share the story of Tigger in the "My Pet" category. He
is a country cat who moved to the city and a new life. You could relate
this online story to the book Cookie's Week by Cindy Ward or
the classic tale "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse." (Jan Brett
has a neat version of this now, Town
Mouse and Country Mouse.) Use a Venn-diagram to illustrate characteristics
of the city and the country that your students can name. Compare and
contrast the two.
Music/language arts -- farm songs.
You'll find the words to many other kids' songs at KIDiddles.
If you practice everyday, your students will have these country
tunes down in no time!
Social studies -- debate skills. Here's a great farm site
for older students! Barnyard
Palace contains an aerial photo of the Teaching Animal Unit
at the NCSU Veterinary Medicine College that serves as a clickable
map. Read about the beef cows, poultry, and horses on this teaching
farm by selecting a portion of this photograph. There are plenty
of facts to share and lots of pictures. Because many of the animals
are raised primarily for consumption, this is probably not the best
site for early elementary students. You could use this fact as a
springboard to a discussion of the ethics of raising animals for
food, or even for scientific research, with more mature kids.
Social studies -- Montana agriculture. Visit MT
Kids: Agriculture with your class to learn about the many crops
and animals raised in Montana. Use Teaching
Master 1 to reinforce the concepts presented with a good old-fashioned
game of "Jeopardy." Students in upper elementary grades can write
their own questions.
Language arts -- comparison. Few stories tell of the difficulties
of agricultural life as well as those of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Students
who are familiar only with the television version of those tales will
be enthralled by the books. Add to that collection the site called
Laura Ingalls
Wilder, Frontier Girl. This site offers pages of background on
all of the characters of the stories, the places in which Laura lived,
and what life was like for the Ingalls as a farming family in the
1800s. Read a portion of one of the many "Little House" books to your
class and then visit this site to learn more about its author. Have
your students compare the real-life story of Laura Ingalls, the books'
versions of her experiences, and the television portrayal.
Science -- the making of milk. If you asked your students,
they could probably tell you that milk comes from cows, but not much
more about it. For instance, what do the terms "homogenized" and "pasteurized"
that we see on milk cartons mean? Have the students in your class
study up on their understanding of milk with a virtual tour of a dairy
farm at MooMilk. When they have
finished, they might take the "MooMilk Quiz." How many different products
can they name that contain milk? Ask your students to make a chart
that shows the process of making milk -- from the cow to the refrigerator.
Social studies -- making butter. Making butter is as easy
as one, two, three! Start by pouring cream into a jar, about half
full. Then place the lid on tightly. Make use all of the busy hands
in your classroom! Pass around the jar, periodically moving from
one student to the next, each having a chance to shake the jar vigorously.
When you no longer hear the liquid moving inside, check your butter.
This is a little rudimentary, so you'll want to spread the butter
on a good, flavorful cracker!
Health -- nutrition with milk. We all know that milk is
good for us, but how good is it? Well, it's great! Milk gives
us calcium for strong bones and healthy teeth. But don't let me
tell you, see for yourself at Got
Milk? This Web site speaks to kids, in their own language,
about the goodness of "moo." When they've finished reading the praises
of milk, send your students to Teaching
Master 2, and instruct them to make their own plan for infusing
a little milk into their diet!
- Carts,
Candles, and Cabbages If you like to share the book The
Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall with your classes, this Web site
is a the resource for you. You will find great questions, activity
suggestions, and even a chart to use with your students.
- Aggie
Horticulture Just for Kids A great site for teachers! Visit
the "KinderGARDEN" section to learn about ways children might
experiment with plants and investigate the outdoors. "Nutrition
in the Garden" has gardening ideas and information about fruits
and vegetables. "Composting for Kids" is a set of instructional
electronic slides that you might use to introduce the concepts
of composting and recycling.
- The
Meaning of Kwanzaa Kwanzaa is a celebration of the harvest
that occurs in December. Like to learn more? This is the place!
Discover the roots of this holiday and how it has changed.
- An American Thanksgiving
In November, we hold a traditional feast of the harvest --
Thanksgiving. What was the first Thanksgiving like? Why was it
held? What is served today? This Web site is "Thanksgiving central"!
- Make
a Farm This Web Site offers free software that contains patterns
for a farm that you could construct in your classroom. There are
many building shapes, and instructions are provided on this page
to help you use the software with your students. Have fun designing
your very own classroom farm!
Article by Cara Bafile
Education World®
Copyright © 1998 Education World
10/26/1998
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