A corn unit study is great anytime in the autumn, although I especially like it during October or November. It works very well with a focus on the harvest, First Thanksgiving, and gratitude.
Here are some helpful Montessori-inspired resources from around the blogosphere.
Montessori Printables
I have a post with Free Montessori Botany Materials for a Gardening Unit, many of which work for a corn unit.
Montessori Print Shop has inexpensive Autumn Season Cards and Vegetable Cards.
Montessori for Everyone has inexpensive Plant Stories and Types of Grains Nomenclature Cards.
Montessori-Inspired Corn Activities
Tweezing Indian Corn (Photo from Barefoot in Suburbia)
Barefoot in Suburbia has tweezing Indian corn.
I have an Activity of the Week – Scrubbing and Tweezing Indian Corn, featuring two activities by Andrea Coventry.
Transferring Corn with Tweezers (Photo from Leptir)
Leptir has posts on Maize/Corn (photo) and Corn, Chestnuts.
Stringing Indian Corn Colored Beads (Photo from Little Wonders’ Days)
Little Wonders’ Days had a corn theme with stringing Indian-corn-colored beads. (The blog is no longer available.)
My Montessori Journey has Spooning Corn, Tweezing Corn, Indian Corn Art Project, Fall Bingo Game using field corn, Turkey Math Game using corn kernels, and Thanksgiving Story Bracelets (with a bead for corn).
Spooning Corn Kernels (Photo from Our Montessori Home)
Our Montessori Home has spooning and tweezing corn kernels.
Pouring corn kernels (Photo from The Work Plan)
The Work Plan has a growing corn art project, pouring and tweezing corn kernels (photo), candy corn clothespins, and writing with cornmeal.
Seed Graphing (Photo from Counting Coconuts)
Counting Coconuts has pouring corn kernels, a November sensory tub with popcorn kernels, and seed graphing.
In his book Basic Montessori: Learning Activities for Under-Fives, David Gettman has sorting grains.
Grain Matching (Photo from United Montessori Association)
United Montessori Association had a grain matching activity. The article is no longer available, but United Montessori Association has a new blog with lots of great activities.
North American Montessori Center has a sample elementary botany lesson on Humans and Plants.
Montessori Muddle has Corn, Chemistry and the Food You Eat for middle and high school.
Have you been using any corn activities at home or school?
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We’ve actually done quite a few corn activities. It seems to be something my boys can relate to more easily than to pilgrims and indians, etc. We made these corn wreaths
http://readysetread2me.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-craft-corn-wreaths.html
I love this wrap up, though, I’m excited to try a few things out!
Thanks so much for your comment, Jackie! I LOVE your corn wreaths and pinned them to my Pinterest board! 🙂
The Corn Activities are Amazing!It enhances Artistic skills and corn as a material is a perfect art medium.
Thanks so much for your comment, Lyka! Great point about corn being a perfect art medium! 🙂
What FUN corn activities!!! Love it! Thanks for linking up to TGIF!
Beth =-)
Thanks, Beth! I love checking out the activities linked up at TGIF! 🙂
Thanks for reminding us about corn activities. I did something similar last year too:
http://leptir-mojpribor.blogspot.com/2010/10/kukuruz-corn.html
and
http://leptir-mojpribor.blogspot.com/2009/09/kukuruz-kesteni.html
Thanks so much for letting me know about your corn posts, Nataša … they’re wonderful! I just added your posts and a photo to my post! 🙂
Deb, You’ve been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award. Come check it out! I read your post about awards and know your feelings but you are so so deserving for all your wonderful work!!! http://learningideasgradesk-8.blogspot.com/2011/11/versatile-blogger-award.html
Thanks so much, Marcia! I really am honored and appreciate it! I do love awards … just unable to meet all the posting requirements. I’ve added your link to my awards page already! And congratulations on your award … you definitely deserve it! 🙂
My preschoolers also made corn husk dolls. In addition we soaked the kernels from the Indian corn to make them soft enough that we could string them like beads for necklaces.