Corn Stalk Craft...

It's officially Spring and that means that the planting season is just around the corner.  Farmers in the Midwest are anxiously waiting for the conditions to improve so they can head to the fields.  Right now, it feels like we are in the middle of mud season as the rain just does not want to stop.  It can be frustrating, but we also know how frustrating dry weather is, so we take what we get and handle it as it comes.

If you are just stopping by for the first time, my friend Crystal at Mom for Less and myself are partnering with Indiana's Family of Farmers to help educate kids about modern agriculture.  This month we are talking about planting.  For a "behind the scenes" look into planting, check out this post from a few years ago, where I talked in-depth about the planting process.

 The girls and I made this corn stalk out of hand prints, foot prints, and finger prints.  If you've browsed my blog at all, you know I love anything that involves those three things and what kid doesn't like dipping their hands and feet in paint, or having them painted (less mess that way!)?  Not

Not only is this a super fun craft, but it also includes a little learning lesson at the end, so make sure to read to the end:)  Now, let's get started!!

You will need:

yellow, brown, and green paint

paintbrushes

white cardstock

green construction paper

Begin by painting the child's hand green...

 Then stamp it onto paper being very careful not to move their hand.  Continue this process with the other hand.

 Next, paint the child's foot.  This is sure to get a lot of giggles;)

 Stamp their foot on to the paper. (Sorry. I guess I forgot to take a pic of this step._

Next paint the child's pointer finger...

Then stamp the pointer finger on to the paper.  Add several in a "bunch."  This will be the tassel part of the corn.  You may need to pain the finger a few more times.

 Next paint the child's hand brown and stamp it on to the paper three times.  Again, you may need to paint the child's hand after each hand print.  Since, I have three girls, each one created one hand print.

Let the paint dry.  

Once the paint is dry, cut out the prints.

Glue the hands to the feet like so...

 This creates the ear of corn and the husks...

 cut some leaves and strips of paper for the stalk from green construction paper.  Assemble the corn plant...

Now, you can stop there or, to make it a bit more educational (you can't only have fun, right?) you can have the kids label the parts of the corn plant.  You can find a list of the parts here.  Note: There is a part of the corn plant called the silks, I left them out intentionally, but feel free to add them if you wish.  Fun fact: For every silk there is a kernel of corn!

Print off the words and cut them out individually and attach a piece of tape to the back.  Place them face down on the table and have the kids take turns labeling the parts of the plant.  (Even Elsa had to take a turn.)

Last but certainly not least, the girls and I talked about seed germination.  What all the seed needs to grow...water, heat, sunlight.  I remember doing this activity when I was in grade school.  We rolled the seeds in wet paper towel and waited for them to germinate.  I wanted to make the observation process a little easier for the girls so they would be able to watch it step-by-step.

The first step is to wet several paper towels.  We used about 7, but you just have to gauge what will fit in your cup.  Place the wet paper towels in a clear glass and push them back from one side of the glass.  Then insert the seed and allow the paper towel to hold the seed against the side of the glass so the seed won't fall to the bottom.

 Keep the paper towel moistened and keep the glass in a warm, sunny spot and watch the germination process take place!  (You can do this with any type of seed...it doesn't have to be corn...it will work for soybeans, flowers, vegetables.  AND it doesn't have to be field corn either!  Sweet corn that you plant in your garden will work too!)  Have fun!!

Don't forget to head on over to Mom For Less for a lesson on planting.  The kids will love learning about planting and making a craft to go with it!!

A Day in the Life of a Farmer...Ag Day Felt Book...

 Ag Day is March 18th.  It's a day set aside to celebrate all things Ag and everyone involved in Ag as we applaud them for all their hard work.  Crystal at Mom for Less has a lesson planned for young kids to help them better understand the wonderful world of Ag.  It's a little bit different than the Old McDonald version that the story books present.

Crystal and I wanted to highlight a day in the life of a farmer to honor all the farmers out there by getting the kids involved and hopefully they will ask some questions along the way.  Now, each farmer has a different "schedule."  Some have livestock and others don't.  Some have crops and others don't, but they all have one thing in common: they work hard to provide food for the world!  I put together this felt book for my 2 year old daughter Jo, with the help of my older daughters.  While it was meant for Jo, the older two have enjoyed playing with it too.

It turned out so cute...

 

 You will need:
A cereal box
Felt in various colors. (I used: brown, green, light blue, blue, red, black, yellow, and white.)
School glue
2 pipe cleaners
Clip Art Printables
scissors

First, print the farm printables.  I have added the link to the clip art that I have provided, but you are welcome to make your own.

Then cut two rectangles from a cereal box and coat each side with glue...

Then add the desired felt color to each side of the box and trim off excess.  Allow it to dry.  Once dry, use scissors to add three holes on each rectangle.  Make sure that the holes line up on each side.

Once you printed the clip art, cut them out and glue them to the desired felt color. Jo even got in on this part of the action;)..

Allow them to dry and then cut them out leaving a bit of a border...

 Cut two pipe cleaners in half.  You will have a half left over so just save it for another project ;)

 Place the pipe cleaners in the holes of the rectangle to bind them together.  Twist to secure.

Now, for the fun.  The kids can start making all the different types of scenes.  (Note: the black and white hay bale is supposed to be green.  I had trouble finding hay...everything was yellow which is straw.  Cattle lay on straw (yellow) and eat hay (green), so your little one will have to color it green.)

I also cut out some brown felt for dirt, green felt for grass, or a hay field, and white felt for snow.

Since we are a beef and crop farm, that is what I included for my book, but this project is so versatile that you can easily add pigs, chickens, whatever the kids want.

Here are some other examples of the farm scenes my kids created.  

Planting while the sun shines...

 Making hay while the sun shines...

 The piece of equipment behind the tractor is called a round baler.  Most of the hay or straw in picture books are square, but farmers also make round bales which are much larger.

All plants need water to grow!...

 Harvest time!..

 The wagon behind the green tractor is called a grain cart.  The combine unloads the corn onto the grain cart and the grain cart takes it to the grain bin or semi truck.

And finally snow.  Farmers don't quit working because of the snow or cold.  In fact, their work probably doubles in this type of weather.  The calves still have to eat.  The farmers work hard 365 days a year to make sure the livestock have feed and water and fresh warm straw to lay on.

Don't forget to visit Crystal's blog for a fun lesson to go with this felt book!  Remember Ag Day on March 18th!