![It's Almost Harvest Time]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1727394538/oakhillday/fdekgimbhqnklyl9fssd/IMG_8090.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1727394538/oakhillday/fdekgimbhqnklyl9fssd/IMG_8090.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1727394538/oakhillday/fdekgimbhqnklyl9fssd/IMG_8090.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1727394538/oakhillday/fdekgimbhqnklyl9fssd/IMG_8090.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1727394538/oakhillday/fdekgimbhqnklyl9fssd/IMG_8090.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1727394538/oakhillday/fdekgimbhqnklyl9fssd/IMG_8090.jpg","width":2200}])
Kindergarten students are growing something new in the Living Lab. It comes in many varieties, is used in numerous products we use, eat, and buy everyday, and makes a tasty snack. It’s corn!
The kindergarten students have been observing the growth of three varieties of corn since the beginning of the school year. The students will be learning more about corn and its many uses in the next couple of weeks during their upcoming thematic unit. To help bring this unit to life, Mr. Cole helped build a brand new garden bed for growing corn.
Earlier in the summer, Mr. Cole invited both kindergarten teachers to help plant corn. The corn was planted over a period of weeks with the knowledge that it would grow at different rates, allowing the students to observe the corn plants in various stages of growth. Currently, three varieties are growing in the Living Lab: Glass Gem Corn (decorative), Chires Baby Corn, and Natural Sweet XR Sweet Corn.
Students have been using their five senses to observe the corn plants throughout the school year. Recently kindergarten students used their observations in their writing. The students wrote about what they saw, smelled, felt, and heard while observing corn in the Living Lab. Students also used rulers to measure the various heights of the plants and made predictions about when the corn would be ready to harvest and what each variety would look like. Growing corn has allowed students to expand their vocabulary while learning about the life cycle of the corn plants and the plant parts. New words they have encountered include stalk, tassel, husk, silk, and ear.
As the unit continues, students will learn more about the harvesting of corn and its importance in the Midwest. Kindergarteners will help with the harvesting and be able to observe varieties of corn up close. Students will take part in a taste test of foods made from corn, including the corn they helped grow! They will also learn more about how corn is used, what popular foods and products are made from corn, and its historical importance to people in North America and beyond.