Smart Stuff with Twig Walkingstick: Backyard Fruits that You Can Grow

Twig Walkingstick lives in and around the Wooster campus of the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. His alter ego is Kurt Knebusch, one of our super-talented writers and editors on campus. Each month, look for Twig to answer a reader questions and some additional interesting facts below. After Twig's post, we will be providing some ideas and suggestions on how to incorporate the info in Twig's column into fun science learning for your students and children.

Q. Dear Twig: OK, here's another kiwifruit. So what did you mean, "more cool backyard fruits" last month?

A. Thank you. Chomp, chomp. I meant that you can grow a lot of other fruits in your own backyard, not just kiwifruits. (And you can grow those, too, if you want to.)

Like what? Well, in most places you can grow apples.

And peaches.

And pears and plums.

And grapes and cherries and peaches and apricots.

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries.

Plus weird ones, too, that you might not find in a grocery store: pawpaws, currants, mulberries, Juneberries, gooseberries, even ground cherries.

Sweet.

Next: Why would you want to do this? A good way to learn how to do this. And a chance to win that good way free.

Berrily,

Twig

P.S. Q. Why do elephants hide in strawberry patches? A. The research is inconclusive.

Notes from Twig:

The fruit types listed are for Midwestern growing conditions (like in Ohio, where I live). Others include quince, medlar, bush cherry, Cornelian cherry, persimmon and highbush cranberry.

Source: If you're eager to learn, check out Ohioline and start to dig around.

Q. Why do elephants paint their toenails red? A. To hide in a strawberry patch or in plantings of certain kinds of grapes, apples, cherries, currants, raspberries, gooseberries, mulberries, bush cherries or highbush cranberries depending on the shade they use.

Using this information in the classroom:

There are many, many cool ways to incorporate plants into your classroom. Here are two of our favorites:

Check out Growing Together, which you can buy at the Ohio State University Extension E-Store for $13.50. There are tons of cool activities and lessons inside and we use them in our program all the time. Love it!

And secondly, I bet you don't think of using plant to teach math, do you? Check out Math in the Garden for $29.95 from Gardening with Kids.

Lots of fun, hands-on ways to heat up your outdoor summer learning in the coming months of spring and summer. Enjoy!

Dreaming of a white Christmas?

Are you (and your little learners) dreaming of a white Christmas? How about if you take those dreams and turn them into predictions?

Here at OARDC we have an active weather station at our Wooster campus, and at 17 other sites across the Buckeye State. Current and past data for these stations is available free of charge online. So you can certainly check our weather at anytime, but that still leaves the question: will we have a white Christmas this year? Here's a fun way for older elementary to high school students to use historical weather data to create a map and color key to illustrate the likelihood of a white Christmas while learning about contour maps. The following lesson plan is based on the lesson available at educationworld.com

The National Climatic Data Center has calculated the probability of a White Christmas for the entire US (below). This map is based on the full range of data for each site rather than the 1971-2000 normal.

Here's what you'll need:

• A color temperature map (many newspapers like USA Today publish such a map daily and are even available online)
• Recording of the song I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas  (optional)
• White Christmas Weather Data worksheet available free online
• US outline map available free online
• Atlas
• Crayons or colored pencils

Will your students enjoy a white Christmas this year? Let's see what the historical weather data has to say about the likelihood for your part of the country...

1. Start by showing students a color temperature map. Discuss how the map can be a quick guide to determine the current or high temperature for the day. Point out the color key as a tool to guide interpretation of the map.
2. Ask students if they have any idea how this map, called a temperature contour map, is created. The color contour map is imply a pictorial representation of weather data. In the case of a contour map that shows the current temperatures around the United States, the data is a long list of temperatures in cities around the country. Students could create their own color contour map by gathering this data, plotting the temperatures in a wide variety of locations on an outline map and "connecting the dots" to approximate the approximate areas in which the temperatures are in the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, etc.
3. For practice, you may want to provide students with data from a local paper on temperatures recorded the previous day or the high temperature estimate for the current day. Use the list to plot locations and temperatures. Demonstrate how students can create a color contour map to show those high temperatures. Then have students map the low temperatures of the day from the same source.
4. Introduce and play the song I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas and pass out the White Christmas Weather Data worksheet. This worksheet includes figures representing the percent likelihood of snow being on the ground Christmas Day in 40 cities around the United States. This worksheet is intended for grades 5 and up. Younger students can focus on a state or region and map data for that smaller area. For example, the Illinois State Climatologist Office provides data for 13 sites across Illinois on the likelihood of snow on Christmas day. You may be able to find similar data for your state or region as well. Stormfax also provides a nice set of data for various states and regions.
5. Have students plot the data on their map then create a color key to guide them as they color their contour maps. The color key will denote a different color for locations where the percent likelihood of snow on Christmas day is 0-20 percent, 21-40 percent, 41-60 percent, 61-80 percent and 81-100 percent. Be sure students understand that the maps they create are a simple approximation of the likelihood any area will have an inch of snow or more on the ground Christmas day. Geographic location can account for vast differences in snowfall in a small area. For example, their map will show that much of Arizona has little chance of snow cover on Christmas day, but a small area of the state, around the city of Flagstaff ( located in the mountains in the middle of the state) has a 57 percent chance of snow coverage on Christmas day!
6. Have students share their maps with one another and with the class and discuss how accurately those maps depict the likelihood of snow cover. Check maps for accuracy in plotting city locations, but grant leeway in judging the final contour maps. Some variation needs to be allowed for where the controus might break between the plotted cities. Students should also have the opportunity to express in writing thelessons they learn (math and geography) from the activity.

Preparing for the feast

I don't know about you, but my kids are ready for Thanksgiving. Whether it's the turkey, the pumpkin pie, the days off school or the "official" start of the Christmas season, they are ready. So while their minds are on the upcoming feast anyway, it's a perfect time to practice reading charts, interpreting data and learning about how important agriculture and food production are to state's economies. Here in Ohio, agriculture is the largest industry in the state. That makes it pretty important!

Let's start by taking a moment to look at just a few of the "staples" of a traditional Thanksgiving feast:

Turkeys
The United States is the world's largest producer of turkeys. So where are these birds raised? Here are the top 10 turkey producing states in the country with the number of birds raised in each

1. Minnesota: 48 million
2. North Carolina: 40 million
3. Arkansas: 31 million
4. Missouri: 21 million
5. Virginia: 18 million
6. California: 16 million
7. Indiana: 14.5 million
8. South Carolina: 12.5 million
9. Pennsylvania: 11.5 million
10. Iowa: 9 million

Source: United States Department of Agriculture 2008 numbers. Print off the chart from the USDA, page 7, and ask students to rank the top 5 or top 10 turkey producing states either by total dollar value, number of turkeys, or even the average price per pound in each state. 

Follow up by asking age-appropriate questions, like how many turkeys are raised on farms in Indiana? Which state produces more turkeys, Arkansas or Virginia?  Which state produces the most turkeys? Which state produces fewer turkeys, Missouri or California? How many more turkeys are produced in Indiana than South Carolina? How many turkeys are produced in the three top turkey-producing states?

Even more fun? Take a look at the blog On the Banks of Squaw Creek to hear the tales of our teacher and blogger friend Katie,  who lives on one of those turkey farms responsible for making Iowa a top-ten turkey-producing state. She tells lots of turkey tales and has cool pictures of what modern turkey production looks like.

Education World has a worksheet available for download on sweet potato and cranberry production that explores similar questions, too.

Another great tool to look at is the American Farm Bureau's annual Thanksgiving basket survey. Each year they shop for the same list of Thanksgiving feast staples to estimate the cost of preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. The list remains the same from year to year, so students can look at the relative costs over time and chart those as well. They can also track inflation over time and compare those results as well.

Back to School: Discover Dairy

August means it's time to head back to school. Teachers are scurrying to get their classrooms back in order. Moms are scurrying to finish their back to school shopping. And kids are scurrying to scrape up the last bits of enjoyment they can from summer. In honor of this oh-so-busy time of year, we're spending August highlighting some great educational resources to help you get ready  for the new school year.

Now back when I was in school, math was math and reading was reading and the two never seemed to mix. But educators today seem to be much more organized and creative when it comes to creating meaningful and memorable lessons that cut across traditional subject boundaries.

Such is the case with the new (and free) Discover Dairy curriculum with four new comprehensive designed specifically for middle school students. This hands-on program teaches students where their milk comes from and how dairy farmers contribute to our world all while applying science concepts to real-life situations. But it's not "just" science: the Discover Dairy program (which includes videos, reading guides and lab-based instruction) also meets educational science standards in math, science and reading. The curriculum was developed as a joint initiative of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, the Center for Dairy Excellence and the Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and is funded by the Dairy Checkoff program.

These new lessons build on the existing Discover Dairy lessons that were launched in 2008 and designed for upper elementary students. Since it's launch, the series has been used in more that 300 Pennsylvania classrooms and more than 15 states. The Discover Dairy website also draws about 1,000 visitors each month and includes farm tour resources for farmers and interactive games for kids, such as Operation Dairy where kids put on their detective hats and join Cammie the Cow in discovering how cows are cared for on today's dairy farms.

Five different lessons are available for upper elementary students. Each lesson features multi-leveled activities to address different cognitive levels. Topics include:

• Animal Health
• Milk Safety
• Environment
• Community
• Nutrition

Middle school educators can use the four new lessons, each of which includes two lab activities, for students on:

• Animal Health
• Milk Safety & Quality
• Dairy's Role in the Environment
• Dairy's Role in the Community

So as you gear up to head back to school, don't forget: dairy and milk are not just for lunch time! They make great lessons, too. Interested in learning more about dairy? Be sure to check out these great dairy blogs to learn more about dairy production! 

And don't forget, teachers: Make sure your school is taking advantages of the resources available through the NFL's Fuel Up to Play 60 in-school initiative program to fight childhood obesity!

Homeschool? Check out these fun ways to make sure your kids are getting their "Three a Day!"

Learning lessons with leaves...

Who said summer is time to take a break from learning? Summer is a fabulous time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors...and that in itself is a great learning opportunity! But "add" in some math skills that are fun and easy and it "sums" up to a winning combination. The following activity is derived from Math in the Garden. This book is published by the National Gardening Association and is choc-full of great hands-on mathematical learning opportunities...you guessed it....in the garden!

Mathematical measurements and patters are vital in describing the world around us...and what better place to explore number, operations and even algebra than in the garden? Numbers are everywhere...not only in all areas of mathematics, but also in our daily lives. It's vital children understand what numbers represent and how they are used. Children learn about numbers through concrete, real-world experiences, such as counting objects of interest....like the number of petals on a flower. Numbers are also used to measure in units (such as how many feet tall a sunflower measures) or to make comparisons (such as which sunflower is tallest).

Estimations allow children to gauge an approximate quantity without counting precisely. Opportunities to practice making estimates helps children gain a deeper understanding of the magnitude of numbers and measures as well as assess the "reasonableness" of an answer.

In today's activity, children will measure the area of a leaf with nonstandard units, such as beans, buttons, and bottle caps. The sky is the limit when it comes to units of measurement for this activity. Once the surface area of various leaves is determined, the children will compare those areas.

Each pair of children will need:

• leaf
• clipboard
• overhead transparency
• white paper
• transparency pen
• about 1cup of small, flat objects (like the beans, buttons or bottlecaps discussed above). Dried lima beans work well
• journal for recording observations
• pencil

Prep Work:

1. Select a plant whose leaf area is smaller than a standard sheet of paper. Select a leaf that will hold a countable number of objects within it's area. Younger children will need to use smaller leaves to be successful at counting. A spinich leaf might be a good choice for a 5-year odl, for example.
2. Select a flat surface, such as a picnic table or level area of ground, where the group can gather to set out their clipboards and compare areas.
3. Either provide each pari of students with the steps for measuring area or write it on a large poster board, chalboard or easel where all students can see the step. (See below)

Steps for Measuring Area:

1. Trace a leaf
2. Place 1 bean inside traced leaf.
3. Estimate how many beans will fit inside the leaf.
4. Put 10 beans inside the leaf.
5. Revise your estimate and write it down.
6. Fill the area of the leaf with beans.
7. Count the beans using groups of 10. 
8. Write down the number of beans.

Conducting the activity:

1. Walk through the garden asking kids to look at the variety of sizes and shapes of leaves. Have them use their hands to show the size of the largest and smallest leaves they find.
2. Tell them they will be exploring different sizes of leaves. Use your pre-selected leaf to demonstrate how to trace the leaf onto an overhead trasparency. (Carefully place the leave between the transparency and clipboard, then gently trace around the leaf with the transparency pen. This allows the leaf to remain on the plant and lets you kep the outline.
3. Hold the transparency up for everyone to see. Point to the space inside the leaf and ask the children if they knwo the mathematical name for the space inside. It's called the "area."
4. Hold up a lima bean (or other unit of measure) and ask how many beans they think it will take to cover the area.
5. Have the children discuss their estimates, share them with each other, and explain their thinking.
6. Demonstrate the steps for measuring area outlined above letting the children make the estimates. Ask if their estimates became more accurate as they gathered more information.

Measuring the Area of the Leaves:

1. Go over the steps for measuring area one more time; make sure each pair of students has access to or can see a copy of the steps.
2. Have the pairs select their leaves. If they are having trouble tracing a leaf on the plant, have them select a fallen leaf to trace. Guide them through the measuring steps and assist if necessary.
3. Regather and have a group show their leaf outline while the other children make estimates cbout the area. Have the group revela the actual area in beans.
4. Record that number inside the leaf outline and place that paper in the center of the group.
5. Continue with another group. Have them show their leaf in comparison. Is it larger, smaller, or about the same size? You can place the transparencies one on top of the other to help estimate the area.
6. Have the children estimate the area of the second leaf, then share the actual number of beans and record that number in the center of the leaf tracing.
7. Continue until all the groups have shared their leaves. Line the leaf tracings up in order of smallest to largest area.
8. Ask questions such as: What helped you make your estimate? How many leaves have about the same area? What do you notice about the size and shape of leaves? How do you think leaves help the plant grow?

Details:

• This activity is designed to arress the math standards of number, operations and algebra and well as geometry and pattern.
• It is particularly relevant for students ages 5-8

More ideas:

• You can use transparencies with a centimeter grid to compare areas using standard units of measure, then compare the results of the standard and nonstandard units of measure.
• Use string to measure the perimeter of the leaves. Modify the shapes encompassed by the string to see how the areas are affected.