Materials
Indian corn Field corn
Popcorn kernels Tray
Flat rock, concave in the middle Round rock
Mortar and pestle Big bowl
Instructions
1. Show the children the different kinds of corn and let them use all their senses (except taste) to explore it.
2. Ask questions, closed and open-ended, such as, could we eat the corn? What does it smell, feel, look like? What could we do with the corn?3. Let children know what they will be doing with the corn by demonstrating step five. Explain that this is how Native Americans used to make food and how people in other cultures make their food now, for instance in Central and South America.
4. Children can take the corn off of the cobs and put the kernels into a plastic jar.
5. Put the Indian corn on the flat rock on a tray and crush with the round rock. You can also put the Indian corn in the mortar and crush it with a pestle.
6. Repeat step five using the field corn, then the popcorn.
7. Now put the crushed corn on the tray, and let the children play with it using their fingers.More to doField trip: Visit a local farm that grows corn.
