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This year instructor Amy Hyde is visiting more than
60 Logan County Classrooms offering lessons on the agriculture
industry to students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
In January, students learned all about field corn
(also called 'dent corn'), popcorn and the many different types of
corn!
At West
Lincoln Broadwell, first grade classes learned about popcorn and
what makes it pop. There is a little bit of water in every kernel of
popcorn. When the kernel is heated, the water heats and builds up
pressure. The pressure makes the water take up all the available
space. When enough pressure builds up, the kernel pops and turns
inside out!
The
classroom made predictions of how many pieces of popped popcorn
would fit into different size shapes and then actually measured
their predictions with popcorn popped in the classroom. Once their
measurements were completed, they enjoyed their popcorn!
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Mrs.
Bowlby’s 5th grade science class dissected and learned the four main
parts of a corn kernel and what each part does. Field corn is soaked
and milled so the germ, oil, starch, and hulls can be separated.
Those parts of the kernel are then made into cornstarch, cooking
oil, sweeteners, cereal, beverages and over 4,000 other products we
use every day.
Logan County Ag in the Classroom is sponsored by the University of
Illinois Extension Logan-Menard-Sangamon Unit, Logan County Farm
Bureau, Sangamon County Farm Bureau and Menard County Farm Bureau.
[Amy Hyde - Program Coordinator, 4-H
Youth Development, Ag Literacy & Master Gardeners]
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