Farm Flashbacks

WRITE ON: I had the kids list 10 words that reminded them of their field trip we took to Foster's Farm in Arlington on Monday. While they wrote, I played a great song "That's How a Pumpkin Grows" by Brian Vogan. For additional musical inspiration we listened to "Knock, Knock, Trick-or-Treat" and "I'm Just a Ghost."

CORNY CLASSROOM: Since the kids spent a very memorable part of Monday surrounded by corn stalks, I thought we'd learn a bit more about the crop. Fortunately, the fine folks at the Kentucky Corn Growers Association put together some educational resources. The site says it's geared for for fourth and fifth graders, but there were certainly parts CJ and Annabelle could use. We did worksheets identifying the parts of a corn plant and parts of a corn kernel, and we read about the history of corn in what is now the United States. We learned that corn is believed to have been developed 7000 years ago by natives in central Mexico and that pilgrims would not have survived the harsh winter of 1621 if not for the corn crop that Native Americans taught them how to grow (including the advice that you plant 5 kernels with 5 herring, for fertilizer). The corn history was followed by a pop quiz, the details of which the kids had a bit of trouble with. I think it was because the history contained so much info that was new/foreign to them.

PICKING AND GRINNING: I thought it would be fun for the kids to hear "Jimmy Crack Corn," an an old Civil War era tune. I used to sing/hum that incessantly as a kid. Anyuway, I found a nice version sung and played on banjo by Brad Sondahl. Upon seeing it, Annabelle said, "He looks like my Bops!" Interestingly, according to the Kentucky Corn Growers, the song really isn't about corn at all. Rather, "Jimmy" is sleeping, and "cracking corn" means snoring. Who knew?

CHAPTER ONE: We started a new read aloud chapter book today, All About Sam by Lois Lowry. In researching a book to read to the kids, I found that teachers repeatedly reported this title a favorite of their students. The story is told from the perspective of a little boy named Sam, all the way from the day of his birth through preschool. Following Chapter 1, the kids both wanted to hear another chapter. So far, so good. ...
LET'S GET PHYSICAL: As usual, the kids got a good amount of PE today. Late this a.m. CJ decided he wanted to do sack races, so we rounded up pillow cases and off they hopped. They did several heats, and it was a good cardio workout. They also helped me walk the dog this afternoon, they both bounced on the mini trampoline indoors for several minutes, and had their weekly hour-long yoga class this afternoon.

NOW WE'RE COOKING: I decided we should carry our corn theme on through dinnertime, so before yoga we hit the grocery store for corn on the cob, corn chips, corn muffin mix and last but not least, candy corn. (At the store, Annabelle was telling any/everyone within earshot, 'We're learning about corn!') Once back home, the kids helped mix up and pour the muffin mix into tins, and I showed them how to find the ingredients label on packages. There, they found that whole corn was the number one ingredient in the baked Scoops chips, and corn meal was in the top 3 of the muffin mix. Of course, corn on the cob was 100 percent corn, and yes, even the candy "corn" had some corn product in it - in the form of corn syrup. During dinner, the kids referenced their worksheets and IDed the parts of the corn kernel using the real specimen. Nice!

MINI MARTHA: At least a couple of times a day, Annabelle will undertake an artsy project of her own volition/direction. Today, she found some bubblewrap and decided she needed to fashion a raincoat for a small stuffed dog. Somewhere she found a yogurt container cap and crafted it into a jaunty rain hat, all by herself. She also rounded up craft sticks and pipe cleaners and stated on a giraffe project tonight. She's very creative and motivated when it comes to crafting, which I think is terrific.