Celebrate Earth Day with Kansas Corn STEM

The Kansas Corn STEM team has been working hard the last couple weeks to transform their K-12 science-based classroom lessons into continuous learning activities that can be done at home. We picked out some of our favorite lessons featuring sustainable farm practices and every-day corn-based products to help Kansas celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2020. You can find all of the Kansas Corn STEM continuous learning lessons online at kansascornstem.com with more lessons being added each week.

  • Eco-Friendly Corn Online Lesson and Activities
    • Grade Level: K-2nd Grade
    • Learn how corn helps us be eco-friendly through science and math.
    • Create art and watch videos about biodegradable packing peanuts, an eco-friendly product made from corn.
    • The lesson also features instructions for making biodegradable corn plastic and outdoor bird feeders.
  • Farmer Nicole Online Breakout Box Activity
    • Grade Level: 1st Grade
    • Expand students’ knowledge of the importance of corn in their daily lives and how it’s grown with this breakout by helping Farmer Nicole plant her corn and learn what products are made from corn.
    • Subject Areas: Science, Language Arts
  • How Does It Grow? Online Breakout Box Activity
    • Grade Level: 2nd Grade
    • The breakout lesson includes activities focusing on growing a plant, subtraction, plant habitats, and the corn growth cycle.
    • Subject Areas: Science, Math
  • The Class Garden Online Breakout Box Activity
    • Grade Level: 3rd Grade
    • In this breakout, students will test their math knowledge, learn grade-appropriate science vocabulary, and test their cardinal directions, all while working on their collaboration skills.
    • Subject Areas: Science (climates), Math (multiplication and division within 100), Reading (identifying order of events within a text)
  • GROW IT Online Breakout Box Activity
    • Grade Level: 4th Grade
    • With this breakout students will analyze recorded data, solve word problems, and identify parts of plants so they can breakout.
    • Subject Areas: Science (plant structures and functions), Language Arts
  • The Dibben Family Farm Online Breakout Box
    • Grade Level: 5th Grade
    • Students will test their knowledge on ecosystems, producers, consumers, decomposers and products made from corn in order to unlock their breakout boxes.
    • Subject Areas: Science, Language Arts
  • Corn Plastic Online Lesson
    • Grade Level: Middle School
    • Learn about how corn is used in many ways as an eco-friendly upgrade of products we use in our daily lives such as biodegradable packing peanuts.
    • Discover the properties of plastic, advantages/disadvantages of using it and the effects plastic has on the environment.
  • Soil Erosion Online Lesson
    • Grade Level: Middle School
    • In order to gain a better understanding of soil runoff and the role of cover crops and no-till farming students will be constructing a set up for demonstrating this process. During this experiment they will see first-hand what farmers are doing to prevent the loss of nutrient rich topsoil.
    • Includes videos to help students get a better understanding of no-till and cover crop farming techniques and why farmers utilize them.
  • Water Filtration Online Lesson
    • Grade Level: Middle & High School
    • Through this lab, students will test their own water filtration systems and use different materials around the house to see which ones remove the most pollutants from their water.
    • Go on a video field trip to an actual farm field with Kansas Corn’s Bill Johnston to see how farmers manage water on their fields.
  • G.M. Whoa Online Breakout Box
    • Grade Level: Middle & High School
    • When people refer to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), they are talking about crops that have been created through genetic engineering. This can also be thought of as a more pinpointed approach to plant breeding. Genetic engineering allows plant breeders to take a preferred trait existing in nature and share it to a plant or organism they are seeking to improve. Some examples of desirable traits commonly transferred include resistance to insects and disease and tolerance to herbicides that allow farmers to better control weeds.
    • This breakout compliments the Kansas Corn STEM labs “Genetically Modified Information?” and “G.M.O. or G.M. No.”
  • Sifting Through Soil Online Breakout Box Activity
    • Grade Level: Middle & High School
    • Soil is a vital part of agriculture. As cities grow, many people move away from an understanding of agriculture, even though it is essential to their lives. This breakout is designed to provide students basic knowledge of soil and the many benefits that it provides to us. Students will also be introduced to the various soil qualities, the differences between soil and dirt, and management practices for retaining soil in fields.
    • This breakout compliments the Kansas Corn Stem labs Soil Sleuths, Soil Erosion, and Just Dirt found at kansascornstem.com.