My Grains Project

My project for the Maryland "Agriculture in the Classroom" workshop that I attended this June is a PowerPoint presentation (required) used to kick off a unit on Grains. For Waldorf, this would be part of a 3rd Grade Farming block. My concept is to introduce the grains of the world and how they were first cultivated by early peoples, then ask the students to research each grain. We will look at what kind of climate and soil it needs, when it is planted and when and how it is harvested, as well as any other growth requirements, and then each student will do a presentation on his/her grain and whether it would be a good fit for our region (Southern Maryland). If you are homeschooling, this might be a nice bridge unit between 3rd and 4th grade, starting the topic of Local History/Geography. We will choose a grain, grow it during the school year, harvest it, and use it in a recipe to serve to the students of the school. My students can then share with the preschool and kindergarten students all about the process of growing this grain.

So please be aware that I'll probably be posting a lot of links to Grains as I prepare my presentation.

Here are two nice links for teacher background:

The July 2011 issue of National Geographic has two references to heritage grains and the importance of this topic, and some wonderful pictures. Check out the article online: Food Ark. There's also an amazing graphic illustrating Our Dwindling Food Variety.



Hulu is a nice resource for free documentaries on a variety of topics. Check out King Corn.