STEMsational Ag: The Virtual Farm
Modules
Explore below the 12 different learning modules and follow the blue button below to get started!
Cereal – Thinking Outside the Box Unit 1: Food, Feed, and Fuel This unit will introduce the beginning of Ag and its influence on science, technology, and civilization. Unit 2: Cooking with Whole Grains Explore some of the many different types of cereal grains produced on the farm and how to use them to make healthy porridges, side dishes and soup. Unit 3: Four Ingredient Baking In this unit, learn all of the amazing things you can cook with just four ingredients! | Dairy in the Kitchen Unit 1: Fuel Your Good with Delicious Dairy Take a journey from Farm to School learning about farming practices, dairy nutrition, and how dairy is good for you and the planet. Unit 2: Yogurt & You Learn how to make delicious yogurt and how yogurt can be a nutritious part of a healthy diet. | Save It for Later Unit 1: Long Lasting Leftovers Explore some simple ways to save your casseroles, soups, sauces, and more! Unit 2: Dry My Foods Learn how to dry your own food and explore simple methods to preserve your harvest. Unit 3: A Pickle a Day Learn how to make delicious refrigerator pickles to enjoy as a snack! Unit 4: Frozen Things Freeze those peas and explore some simple methods to preserve your harvest. Unit 5: Fruit Is My Jam Learn how to make easy freezer jam and explore simple methods to preserve your harvest. | Chicken Coop, Chicken Soup Unit 1: Birds Love Bugs If you ever thought chickens were vegetarians, check out this unit to find out what kinds of bugs and critters they eat in your yard. Unit 2: Inside My Egg Explore a chicken egg from the inside out – this unit will teach you about the life cycle of a chicken on the farm. Unit 3: Chicken Coop Use this unit to design and construct your own chicken coop and learn about some popular breeds for your backyard flock. No yard, no problem – use the modified activity instructions to construct a chicken house model! Unit 4: Chicken Soup In this unit, we will explore use of the whole chicken in the kitchen by making chicken soup from scratch. Unit 5: Eggs-cellent Experiments Discover new ways to enjoy eggs. From sweet to savory, these edible experiments are worth trying! | Fast Food at Home Unit 1: Breakfast on the Run Try new foods and learn about healthy but quick breakfast recipes with this unit. Unit 2: Lunchtime! Explore new recipes, ingredient swaps, and sustainable practices for healthy lunchtime meals! Unit 3: Dinner is (Pre)served! Learn how to use what you already have stored to make delicious meals. Unit 4: Healthy Snacks and Drinks In this unit you will learn about many options for making and eating healthy snacks and drinks. In addition, you will learn why they are so important for growing minds and bodies. Unit 5: Cooking on a Budget Discover ways to save not only money but also time on meal prep. Unit 6: Large Batch Cooking Maximizing time and resources when cooking helps meal preparation be more efficient. |
All About the Cows Unit 1: A Day in the Life This unit will give learners a glimpse into the life of the cow on a farm and the milk production process! Unit 2: From Grass to Steak Learn about the food safety of cooking mouthwatering beef on the grill. Unit 3: Burgers and Bones Learn about the by-products of beef all while enjoying a delicious burger. | Bacon the Pig Unit 1: Pigs Love Slop The unit will explore the role of the pig in agriculture as well as technology and careers in the field. Unit 2: Ham Sandwich Learn the process and science of making ham – it’s so easy, you can do it at home! | What’s in the Barn? Unit 1: Types of Barns Learn the history of barns and their various types. Unit 2: Hay Check out how hay is created, stored, and used to feed animals! Unit 3: Equipment Take a ride on the tractors and combines used on the farm. Unit 4: Tools The rake and hoe may be small, but they are very important in the agriculture world! | Barnyard Buddies, Pasture Pals Unit 1: Goats Learn about goat breeds, food and by-products they provide, and more in this unit! Unit 2: Sheep Learn about the diverse products that sheep provide. Unit 3: Turkeys Learn about turkeys, their impact on agriculture, and their nutritional value. Unit 4: Rabbits This unit explores how domestic and wild rabbits play an important role on the farm. Unit 5: Horses Learn all about horses on the farm from taking care of horses, horse history, and their role in agriculture. | Feed the Bees Unit 1: Creating a Pollinator Garden We all have a favorite food and so do bees and other important pollinators in the garden! This unit will introduce some flowers and trees that bees can’t get enough of and teach you how to create a pollinator garden in your backyard! Unit 2: Bee Life Use this unit to learn about the life cycle of a honeybee. From nurses and workers to drones and the queen bee herself, explore the different bee jobs in the hive and how bees work together to build the colony. Unit 3: A Stroll Through the Bee Yard Take a closer look inside the hive and learn how beekeepers work together with honeybees to pollinate plants on the farm and provide us (humans) with honey and beeswax. Unit 4: The Honey Jar This unit will introduce some fun and healthy uses for honey in the kitchen. Make cooked and uncooked treats sweetened with honey! Also, learn how this natural sweetener is made by honeybees and the process it goes through to make it into our kitchen. Unit 5: The Bees Knees: The Important and Fascinating Lives of Bees In this unit you will learn why bees are such a fascinating, important creatures! Not only do they help pollinate the plants we eat, but they amaze us with their complex communication systems, including the waggle dance and hot defensive bee balls! |
My Own Garden Unit 1: Growing (and Eating) with the Seasons This unit will explore how to grow (and eat) fresh produce year-round. Unit 2: Gardens of all Shapes & Sizes Get your veggies growing starting with the design and construction of your own window, container or raised bed garden. Unit 3: Composting This unit will introduce students to the process of composting! Unit 4: From Seed to Sprout Plant a seed and watch it grow! Explore the life cycle of a sprout. Unit 5: My Homegrown Salad It is not just about lettuce. Use this unit to explore all the other ingredients that you can grow for your garden salad and the dressing too! Unit 6: Spicing up Your Garden! Explore how to grow herbs and use them in recipes. Unit 7: Soil This unit will introduce students to the world of soil! | Farm Fashion Unit 1: Fantastic Fibers In this unit, the learner will explore various types of fibers that we use and wear in our everyday lives. Unit 2: Fleece This unit explores various farm animals and their hair or fur that is used to create fleece. You’ll learn about what types of products are made from fleece too. Unit 3: Leather This unit explores how leather goods are made from various animal by-products. Unit 4: Natural Fabric Dyes Dyeing fabric can be accomplished with things found in nature! In this unit you will practice dyeing fabric with natural farm products, like fruit and flowers. Unit 5: Cotton See the journey from that tiny seed to the shirt on your back! |
This work is supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Education and Workforce Development Program. [grant no. 2021-67037-33380/project accession no. 1024880], from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
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