Agriculture & Life Sciences
Agriculture Literacy Kits
Students investigate the importance of light to plants by creating a desktop greenhouse investigation and exploring the process of photosynthesis. Contact Carter Humphries: ccd296@vt.edu or order a kit at a discounted cost. Additional materials can be purchased from https://agclassroomstore.com/
World Map: This fabric map is an excellent resource for "hands-on" geography activities. The cotton fabric washes well and can be taken outside. Countries and their capitals, and major bodies of water are identified. Each map has been serged around the edges. Order the map individually, or add on a set of Herbs and Spices Cards, Where in the World Food Cards, or Lunch Cards. Students will use the cards to identify where in the world each of the foods come from.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle*: Students will learn how long trash takes to decompose and what we can do to be better using the 3-Rs. (SOL Science K.11, 1.8, 2.8, 3.10, 3.11, 4.9, and 6.9)
Insects*: Students will learn the parts of insect, their life cycles, mouth parts, and good vs bad insects.
Pollinators*: Students will learn what is a pollinator, how do pollinators work, and why do plants need pollinators.
Forestry & Leaves*: Students will learn about the different types of leaves and forests. They will learn what common uses and items come from the different parts of a tree (wood, bark, fruit, or sap).
Virginia Agriculture & Resources: Students will learn about Virginia’s diverse agriculture and the resources it offers. Students will identify the different types of agriculture, illustrate the connections between farm and table, and discuss how local agriculture plays into our economy.
Soil Master: This Soil Master Kit contains 10 tests each for pH, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus – the key components of quality soil. Includes a gardening guide with helpful hints, sources for additional information, and easy-to-follow illustrated directions. Prime testing times: Spring (garden/flower beds), Summer (indoor plants), Fall (lawns)
*Denotes kits that have been developed by Henrico 4-H Agents
Winged Wonders
Winged Wonders is a butterfly curriculum developed by North Carolina 4-H. There will be a fee to participate in the 2024 Winged Wonders program, but the details have not been finalized yet. If you are interested in participating, contact Carter Humphries: ccd296@vt.edu. The program will take place in April of 2024.
We have additional Agriculture Literacy Kits not yet listed on the website. Fill out this form to learn more about available kits.
Books: Food, Farming, Environment, and more!
How does a corn seed become corn on the cob? Follow each step in nature's cycle―from planting to picking and eating―in this fascinating book!
Once a upon a time, there was a lazy Bear and a clever Hare. Bear had lots of money and lots of land but all he wanted to do was sleep. Hare had nothing but hungry children, so he came up with a plan to convince Bear to split his land down the middle—tops and bottoms. Hare can work all day and Bear can sleep.
Carve out family time with this Halloween read that features the beloved Mr. Tiffin and his students and makes for a fun way to reinforce counting skills at home! This book makes a wonderful read-aloud companion to any math or science curriculum, and it's a fun way to reinforce topics like skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment!
My Family's Pig Farm
A new non-fiction book by children’s author Katie Olthoff is now available and tells the story of raising pigs on a modern Iowa farm. My Family’s Pig Farm is available by request free for students and teachers from the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation (IALF).
info@iowaagliteracy.org.
From peanut, grape, and wheat seeds to sandwich, PB & J Hooray! is all about how peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are made. The story begins with the kitchen and works backward to the shopping, delivery, production, harvesting, farming, and planting processes!
From exciting and adventurous to educational and captivating, Save the Ocean tells the story of Kaleisha, a mermaid, and Agwe, a silly sea turtle, who work together to discover that Agwe's favorite food, may not be what it seems!
Describes the physical characteristics, life cycle, and behavior of earthworms. Includes anatomy diagram and activity.
"Rollicking fun…cleverly written...multicultural illustrations in brilliant colors…a wealth of information." - Barbara Mojica, Top 1000 Reviewer. A child and grandfather till, plant, and harvest fruits, vegetables, flowers, herbs, and grains in a tongue twisting picture book. Includes online tips for starting your own garden.
The busy days and many jobs of a farm family, the life cycle of a soybean plant, and its life as a crop getting to market are all detailed in My Family’s Soybean Farm, a picture book on what it takes to grow soybeans, and how the crop becomes the many products we use every day. Each spread walks readers through the many steps of planting and growing the crop throughout the seasons, with extensive text features placed beside the story offering range of additional information for readers, from STEM concepts to illustrations of farm equipment, diagrams, and more.
Kids love food--and they especially love to eat popcorn! Author Cris Peterson offers an illuminating step-by-step examination of the history and science behind America's favorite snack. With photographs illustrating every stage, readers get a behind-the-scenes view of how popcorn is planted, grown, harvested, processed, tested, and finally shipped to stores and movie theaters all over the world. Back matter delves into the history of popcorn and how it became so popular in the United States.
Farms are busy places throughout the year. Animals are born, fields are plowed and planted, and crops are harvested. The winters are quiet, but there are always chores to be done, and soon spring will come again.
Through Jolie’s comical scrapbook-style journal entries, young readers will learn how she convinces the “old people” (aka her parents) to let her grow her own strawberries. Growing strawberries is a lot of work and responsibility, but Jolie is ready with the help of her faithful rabbit Munchy! Together they find out just how delicious, rewarding, and sometimes complicated it can be to grow your own food.
Spring has arrived and pollen is in the air. Baby Bear does not like the pollen―it sticks to his fur and makes him itchy and sneezy. He’s allergic! Achoo! He just wishes the pollen were gone. When his friends gather to tell him why they need pollen, Baby Bear learns that pollen is good for the forest and provides food for many animals, including him! Pollen might be something we all love to hate, but can we really live without it? This story explains why we need it.
It’s easy to make an apple pie, but what does it take to make the apples? Sophie is about to find out! First, the apple trees need to be about six years old―just like Sophie. Next, they need to be pruned, and the bees have to pollinate their blossoms! After that, the tiny apples grow through the summer until they’re ready to pick in the fall. Finally, it’s time for Sophie to make the perfect pie!
Find out everything about this versatile and important grain—its history as a crop, the four main types, and how we grow and use it to make everything from food to paper to medicine!
Good Enough to Eat is one of a kind: the only guide to kids' nutrition written especially for kids. A practical, hands-on tool for families who want to eat a healthy diet, this book explains nutrition from carrots to cookies.
Tells the story of how Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, and the effects it had on the Southern United States.
What's that you say? You're hungry? Right this very minute? Then you need a farmer. You have the stories of so many right here on your table! Award winners Lisl H. Detlefsen and Renee Kurilla's delicious celebration of food and farming is sure to inspire readers of all ages to learn more about where their food comes from—right this very minute!
Educational and silly, Save the Scraps tells the story of two children who learn how to compost with the help of their wiggly worm friend. With beautiful and charming illustrations, this is a book adults will love reading over and over again with their kids as readers learn about the benefits of compost. Save the Scrap's heartwarming lesson of environmentalism will stay with the reader for a lifetime.
Seed. Soil. Sun. With these simple ingredients, nature creates our food. Noted author Cris Peterson brings both wonder and clarity to the subject of agriculture, celebrating the cycle of growth, harvest, and renewal in this American Farm Bureau Foundation's Agriculture Book of the Year.
With simple language and bright illustrations, non-fiction master Gail Gibbons introduces young readers to the processes of pollination, seed formation, and germination. Important vocabulary is reinforced with accessible explanation and colorful, clear diagrams showing the parts of plants, the wide variety of seeds, and how they grow.
Dig in to the wondrous world of dirt! In this introduction to soil, young science and nature lovers will discover the components of dirt, how it’s made, and how to maintain healthy soil for the environment. Alongside charming illustrations, award-winning author Natalie M. Rosinsky delivers fun, fact-filled text for an engaging read-aloud or beginning read-alone. Includes hands-on experiments!
The first zucchini of a summer garden is always exciting, but what happens when the plants just keep growing...and growing...and growing? Zora soon finds herself with more zucchini than her family can bake, saute, or barbecue. Fortunately the ever-resourceful girl comes up with the perfect plan--a garden swap! Author Katherine Pryor and artist Anna Raff followup with their first book, Sylvia's Spinach, with this playful story of a child who discovers not only the wonder of growing food but the satisfaction of growing a community.
Kelly can’t wait to visit her potato-farming relatives in Idaho. And with her faithful dog Willow by her side, she’s excited to discover the differences with her other family’s farm in Illinois. But when she gets to Idaho, she’s shocked to find out they’re successfully raising crops with no moo-ers and shakers to create compost!
On Earth Day, we find ways to help the Earth. Trina plants trees with her class. She forms an Earth Day club with her friends. What can you do to make every day Earth Day? Do your part to be a planet protector! Discover how to reduce, reuse, recycle, and more.
The first pumpkin Tim ever carved was fierce and funny, and he named it Jack. When Halloween was over and the pumpkin was beginning to rot, Tim set it out in the garden and throughout the weeks he watched it change. By spring, a plant began to grow! Will Hubbell's gentle story and beautifully detailed illustrations give an intimate look at the cycle of life.
In this playful, humorous, and child-friendly classroom story, the students learn a lot about apples and apple orchards—including how apples are harvested, how cider is made, and what the different varieties of apples are—while trying to solve a riddle. The book also celebrates how some children learn differently than others.
With a mind for ingenuity, Henry Ford looked to improve life for others. After the Great Depression struck, Ford especially wanted to support ailing farmers. For two years, Ford and his team researched ways to use farmers' crops in his Ford Motor Company. They discovered that the soybean was the perfect answer.
One of the best parts of a young child’s day is opening a lunchbox and diving in. But how did that delicious food get there? From planting wheat to mixing dough, climbing trees to machine-squeezing fruit, picking cocoa pods to stirring a vat of melted bliss, here is a clear, engaging look at the steps involved in producing some common foods.
Maple syrup season is here! Kelsey and her father begin harvesting sap from sugar maple trees. Join their family and friends in this farm-to-table process of turning sap into maple syrup. Includes maple syrup facts in the back matter to make this perfect for an educational story time.
In this sequel to the enormously popular Everybody Cooks Rice, young Carrie is sent on a mission by her mother: to search the neighborhood for a "three-handled rolling pin." While on her quest, Carrie discovers that although her neighbors hail from several different countries, they all enjoy the tastes and smells of home-baked bread.
The inspiring true story of how one African woman began a movement to recycle the plastic bags that were polluting her community.
Science is all around us in our daily lives. Specifically, chemistry! When your bread toasts, when your shampoo foams, when the playground slide rusts--those are all chemical reactions. In this book, a mother and daughter experience all these things and more as they go about their day, from when they wake up, to when they go to bed.
How does your garden grow? Book-loving Lola is inspired by a collection of garden poems that she reads with her mommy. She wants to plant her own garden of beautiful flowers, so she and Mommy go to the library to check out books about gardening. They choose their flowers and buy their seeds. They dig and plant. And then they wait.
Best friends Sally and Billy are ready for a fun day in Fruit Garden! After sliding down Mango Mountain and flying over Cherry Cliff, they accidentally land in the mysterious Vegetable Garden. In their search to return home, a helpful squash tells the friends that ten clues will lead them to the secret gate. The pair must quickly find and solve them all before the gate locks at sunset. Will Sally and Billy conquer their quest to return home, or will they be left to ripen with the veggies? Children will love to solve the clues about vegetables and see which part of the garden they get to explore next!
Told through exuberant rhyme, a group of children shows the step-by-step process of how America's favorite snack comes about. Beginning with the planting of seeds, the cycle moves through the caretaking of the plant (watering and weeding), all the way to its harvest. Finally, it's time to shuck, then pop the kernels, and enjoy the finished product! Complete with back matter that includes scientific facts and activities, Let's Pop, Pop, Popcorn! offers a fun introduction to the process of creating popcorn.
When young Temple was diagnosed with autism, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Yet, the determined visual thinker did just that. Her unique mind allowed her to connect with animals in a special way, helping her invent groundbreaking improvements for farms around the globe.
Good food doesn't begin on a store shelf with a box, it comes from a garden bursting with life, color, sounds, smells, sunshine, moisture, birds, and bees! Healthy food becomes much more interesting when children know where they come from. So what's in the garden? Kids will find a variety of fruits and vegetables, from carrots to broccoli, apples to onions. For each vegetable comes a tasty, kid-friendly recipe making this book not only the perfect gardening book for kids, but also a healthy cookbook.
Kids everywhere are seeking knowledge about the environment and climate change. Not only is composting becoming more common in households and residential gardens, but many school gardens feature compost piles, too. But how do you start a compost pile? What’s safe to include? Perfect for an Earth Day focus or year-round reference, this inviting book provides all the answers for kids and families looking for simple, child-friendly ways to help the planet.
Agriculture & Life Sciences Curriculum
1. Ecosystem Services provides an introduction to ecosystem services and explores topics including pollination, soil, provisioning services, and ecotourism.
2. Earth's Capacity focuses on environmental stewardship and sustainability and issues such as transportation choices, waste management, composting, recycling, and natural resources.
3. Facilitator Guide provides training, supplemental activities, and resources to help the facilitator deliver the Exploring Your Environment curriculum.
A comprehensive guide for educators designed to teach health, science, language arts, math and more using a school garden.
A comprehensive guide for educators designed to integrate science, technology, engineering and math into a school garden.
A 12-week science education project teaching 4th-6th grade students about water and its importance to the planet
There's No New Water
Wonder Wednesdays focused on the James River Watershed. There are over 20 videos, 3-5 minutes each, which feature a different topic related to watershed education. Many partners from Virginia Cooperative Extension, various Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and the James River Association are making this series possible. Watch them here.
4th Grade: Did you know that you can get a FREE "Every Kid Outdoors" pass? Use it as many times as you want throughout the year to discover hundreds of majestic landscapes, breathtaking views, and inspiring historic sites across the entire country.
Learn more: https://www.everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm
