“Mom, I don’t have anything to DO.”
You probably wish you had a dollar for every time you’ve heard your kids say that in the past month. And, chances are they’ll still be home for at least a couple more weeks.
What to do? We’ve gathered some online ag literacy resources to give your kids new options. Hopefully, at least one of these ideas will keep them engaged long enough to give you a well-earned break!
Farmers 2050
Nutrien – www.farmers2050.com
Can you sustainably feed a growing population? Create your own virtual farm! Go to the App Store or Google Play to install this free animated game on your phone or tablet.
Sponsored by Nutrien in partnership with National Agriculture in the Classroom, National FFA, Nutrients for Life, and others, Farmers 2050 has no pop-up ads or in-app purchases.
Family AG-tivities
DeKalb County Farm Bureau – www.growyoungminds.org
Have you checked out our Ag Literacy website? Click on “Family AG-tivities” to download and print our Farm Matching Game, read the new DeKalb County Farmers Ag Mag, and explore some of our favorite ag videos and virtual farm tours.
At Home Ag-tivities
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture – https://www.agfoundation.org/news/at-home-ag-tivites
Read (on-screen or by downloading and printing) 3rd-5th grade chapter books like “The Cow Conundrum” from Feeding Minds Press. Watch a read-aloud of the book “How Did That Get in My Lunchbox?” You can even print and play a Farm 2 Cart board game.
This page also links to AFBF’s My American Farm website, where over two dozen online games can be found for K-5 students.
How Does it Grow?
True Food TV – Search “How Does it Grow?” on Youtube.com
Pumpkins, peppers, and peaches, oh my! Also oranges, cranberries, mushrooms, and more are explored in the How Does it Grow videos. Host Nicole Jolly takes viewers to farms around the country to learn how the produce we love is grown.
eLearning
National Agriculture in the Classroom – https://www.agclassroom.org/eLearning/index.cfm
Activities from the National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix have been adapted for families to implement at home, like making desktop greenhouses to grow lettuce or creating bioplastic from corn oil and starch. Find out “Who Grew My Soup?” by seeing the book read aloud and doing related activities.
Everyday Agriculture
Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom – www.beyondthebarndoor.wordpress.com
Each “shelter at home” school day, Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom staff are posting videos and activity ideas based on a theme. One of our favorite themes is “Ag in my Cabinet,” which includes a scavenger hunt-style BINGO game and a hands-on STEM activity making a lava lamp with corn oil and other household items. Options are provided for early elementary as well as upper elementary and middle school-aged students.
INDOOR BINGO Instructions
1. Cut out the BINGO card. Use a glue stick to attach it to a scrap of cardboard.
2. Find pennies to use as markers. Place a penny on the Free Space.
3. Search your cupboards for items on the card. Each time you find one, cover its picture with a penny.
4. When you have 5 pennies in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row, you’ve got a BINGO!
Bonus challenge #1:
Can you find every item on the card?
Bonus challenge #2:
Choose at least one item and research how it is connected to farming.
