Five lessons plans based on the movie Farmland. Students can explore the evolution of modern farming, challenges in farming and more. Click here to find out how to show the movie "Farmland".
"Did you know that every third bite of food we eat is due to pollinators? Honey bees, butterflies, birds and other pollinators help grow our food, keep our flowers blooming and make our lands healthy. However, for many reasons, including lack of habitat, pollinators are struggling."(1)
Help students learn about the process so they can become stewards of this never ending cycle. "Ultimately, all life on Earth depends on plants to provide food, shelter, and oxygen for other living things. Consequently, plant reproduction is crucial to all other life on this planet. The first step in plant reproduction is the intricate process called pollination, which occurs when pollen grains, the male germ cell of a plant, reach the stigma, the female reproductive part of the same species of plant. Depending on the plant species, a flower can produce male, female, or both structures. Pollination can also occur within the same flower.
Most flowering plants (90 percent) depend on animals to make the vital pollen-grain delivery. The remaining flowering plants rely on wind and sometimes splashing raindrops to ferry pollen, but this is a less precise method. Pollinating animals do the job for a reward: food, usually in the form of nectar."(2)
PollinatorLIVE brings the excitement of pollinators to you through webcasts, webinars and online education resources.
The Honey Files grades 4-6
A comprehensive video and educational guide available from the National Honey Board. Covers topics such as bee biology, the hive and pollination.
The three lessons in this online unit explore the theme of the National Zoo's Pollinarium
exhibition: how plant and animal partners interact to accomplish pollination.
Play one of the newest games from My American Farm and learn cool facts about pollinators, like honeybees can fly 15 miles per hour and that butterflies taste with their feet. Check out the online game, the activity sheet and the lesson plan.
Bats are amazing animals that are vital to the health of our environment and economy - eating tons of insects nightly, pollinating flowers, and spreading seeds that grow new plants and even trees. Find lessons, activities and posters. Contact Jessie Dubuque of the White Mountain National Forest, Saco Ranger, Saco Ranger District for information on borrowing a trunk of resources (jdubuque@fs.fed.us).
Longwood Gardens Virtual Field Trip
Longwood Gardens just added Operation Pollination to their free program options for March. "Discover the connection of living systems and investigate why and how flowering plants have developed with their pollinator partners. Gain an appreciation of this delicate relationship by identifying adaptations of plants and pollinators. Consider enhancing your curriculum with this live, interactive virtual field trip with Longwood experts. Their trained Educators deliver lessons directly into your classroom, engaging your students in discussion and problem-solving as they explore topics through video, images, and hands-on activities." Click here for more information and registration.
Grant Opportunity
The
Lowes Toolbox for Education Grants spring cycle begins December 18th and continues through February 12, 2016. Funding may be available for technology upgrades, tools for STEM programs and school gardens. Click
here for application information.
NH Agriculture in the Classroom 295 Sheep Davis Rd Concord, New Hampshire 03301
