One of the best things about homeschooling is choosing to study what you like! We recently completed a theme unit on the history of agriculture. If this sounds like fun to you, here ya go!
HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE THEME UNIT
Reading
The American Family Farm by Joan Anderson
Farming Then and Now by Katie Roden
Pictures from the Farm by JC Allen and Son, Inc. (Brett loved this one!)
Case Photographic History by April Halberstadt
The Big Book of Tractors by John Deere
Tractor Mac Arrives at the Farm by Billy Steers (and other Tractor Mac books)
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingles Wilder, Chapters 10 &11
Writing
Keep a vocabulary list of all the new words you learn
Brainstorm facts you’ve learned about farming; choose one to write in your journal
Explore the poem “One for the Mouse, one for the crow, one to rot, one to grow”
Pretend you are living on a family farm __ years ago. Write a letter to someone telling them about your day.
Math
Create a timeline of farm history (We started about 1800.). Add to it through the unit. These ready-made timelines were great resources!
“Plant” (glue) ears of corn in numerical order. For older students, plant numbers by 2s, 5s, etc. or backwards.
Use this website from nps.gov to learn how many miles a man walked to plant one acre, how much a plow cost and billions of other math facts from the 19th Century!
Use the “one for the mouse” poem to do a little hands-on subtraction
Science
Try this experiment to learn why rubber tires were a great improvement over horses hooves and steel wheels.
Experiment with tying straw sheaves. If you don’t have straw large weeds from the side of the road will work as well. Will your sheaves protect the straw from the rain?
Make a farm diorama with a shoe box, clay, plastic toy cowboys and horses (can you figure out a way to dress your cowboys to look like farmers?), and any other things you can imagine!
Social Studies
Try sowing seeds yourself. Grass seed is a great choice.
Use a hand grinder to grind wheat.
Watch the archival footage on these John Deere DVDs. Combines, Tractors
Field Trip! The best part of homeschooling– right?! Visit Missouri Town, an Amish community, or similar location
Art
Make a collage of seeds
Design a piece of machinery the could help farmers. Use food boxes, paper towel tubes, brads, yarn, whatever!
Roll toy tractors in (washable) paint and create prints
Scripture
The Parable of the Sower, Luke 8:5-8
Other Internet Resources
Country Life vs. City Life from Home School Year Blog
Daddy's Tractor 