STEM and Inquiry in Agriculture
Fun, hands-on activities to get students thinking and problem solving by carrying out STEM and inquiry challenges with connections to agriculture.
Rows of Resources: Corn and Soybean Activities
If you've ever driven through rural Illinois, you've been surrounded by fields and fields of Illinois' top two agricultural commodities: corn and soybeans. Together, these two crops contribute nearly $13 billion in revenue to the state economy. Thanks to April showers aplenty this year, most Illinois farmers will spend the first part of this month planting rows and rows of these important crops, and we will follow suit by sharing rows and rows of our favorite corn and soybean resources!
Check out these fun facts about Corn:
- Corn is Illinois' top agricultural commodity.
- Most corn grown in IL is field corn, which is used for animal feed, processing, and ethanol.
- The world record for tallest corn stalk is more than 35 feet.
- One bushel of corn will make enough corn syrup to sweeten over 400 cans of Coca-cola!
- An acre of corn will give off 4,000 gallons of water per day in the form of evaporation.
Check out these fun facts about Soybeans:
- Today, every Ford vehicle contains 31,251 soybeans in the foam inside the seats as well as other plastic around the car.
- Soy ink is used in over 95% of America's daily newspapers.
- Decatur, Illinois is the soybean capital of the world.
- One acre of soybeans can produce 82,368 crayons.
- Illinois is number one in soybean production!
Read more about Corn
Read more about Corn with our non-fiction text resources. Check out our Ag Mag (4-8 grade), Reader (8-12 grade), Facts for Little Readers (K-1) and Ag-Venture Worksheet (to be paired with Ag Mag). Foreign Language translations are also available for some texts!
Read More about Soybeans
Read more about Soybeans with our non-fiction text resources. Check out our Ag Mag (4-8 grade), Reader (8-12 grade), Facts for Little Readers (K-1) and Ag-Venture Worksheet (to be paired with Ag Mag). Foreign Language translations are also available for some texts!
Corn Lessons
Corn is found in more than 4000 products we use every day! Explore this versatile crop with some of our favorite corn activities.
Soybean Lessons
Even if edamame isn't your vegetable of choice, you most likely use other products from soybeans at least every week! Check out some of our favorite Soybean activities.
Can't Forget Illinois' State Snack!
Popcorn is Illinois' State Snack Food! Celebrate this month with some of our nonfiction text resources or scientific inquiry activities about popcorn.
These are a few of our favorite... books!
More External Resources
Still looking for more? Check out these other great educational resources from our industry partners.
Everything Earth Day: Earth Day & Sustainability Resources
As the weather warms into spring, many teachers and students are antsy to start getting back outside during the school day. Over 95% of primary and secondary schools across the country do just that on April 22nd each year - Earth Day! This month on the blog, we will highlight our favorite Earth Day and Sustainability activities that you can use to help you celebrate.
March at the Market: Gardening and Farmers Market Resources
Spring has officially sprung and farmers all over Illinois are gearing up for the 2024 gardening and farmers market season! This month on the blog, we will help your students warm up with our favorite farmers market, gardening, and specialty crop resources.