Give Bees a Chance
Not sure whether to high-five bees or run away from them? Well, maybe you shouldn't high-five them, but you definitely don't have to run away from them. Give Bees a Chance is for anyone who doesn't quite appreciate how extra special and important bees are to the world, and even to humankind. Besides making yummy honey, they help plants grow fruits and vegetables. And most bees wouldn't hurt a fly (unless it was in self-defense.) With bees officially on the endangered animals list, it's more important now than ever to get on board with our flying, honey-making friends.
Green Bean! Green Bean!
A girl plants the seed of a green bean and watches it grow and mature through the seasons, even providing a nook in which to read a book. Includes supplementary information about the life cycle of plants, pertinent vocabulary, and activities.
Growing Seasons
Growing Seasons is a non-fiction picture book about farm life at the turn of the last century, as told through the eyes of Elsie Lee Splear [1906-1996] and the paintings of artist Ken Stark. Nearly everything was done by hand-washing clothes with homemade lard soap, canning fruits and vegetables, butchering meat, and much more- before the advent of rural electricity, indoor plumbing and central heating.
Harlem Grown: How One Big Idea Transformed a Neighborhood
Harlem Grown tells the inspiring story of how one man made a big difference in a neighborhood. After seeing how restless they were and their lack of healthy food options, Tony Hillery invited students from an underfunded school to turn a vacant lot into a beautiful and functional farm. By getting their hands dirty, these kids turned an abandoned space into something beautiful and useful while learning about healthy, sustainable eating and collaboration. Five years later, the kids and their parents, with the support of the Harlem Grown staff, grow thousands of pounds of fruits and vegetables a year. All of it is given to the kids and their families.
How Do Apples Grow?
This book is a part of the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, and it clearly illustrates how fruit comes from flowers. Colorful illustrations show the male and female parts of the apple flowers up close, and the role that bees play in pollinating apple flowers is explained in simple language. The book follows apple trees through all four seasons, from the closed buds of winter to the ripe apples of fall.
How Groundhog's Garden Grew
Little Groundhog, in trouble for stealing from his friends' gardens, is taught by Squirrel to grow his very own. From seed-gathering to planting, harvesting, and eating home-grown fruits and vegetables, children join Little Groundhog in learning about the gardening process. At the end, Little Groundhog invites his animal friends to a Thanksgiving harvest feast.
How Things Grow
How Things Grow is an elementary level book teaching all about plants and how they grow. You will learn about seeds, flowers, seasons, trees, fruits and nuts.
How to Grow a Monster
Last year, Gabe's mom grew way too many zucchinis. This year, Gabe and his sister have a secret plan to take control of the garden. They have to stop the zucchini madness! Tying into the popular Makers Movement, Makers Make It Work is a series of fun easy-to-read stories that focus on problem-solving and hands-on action. This charming story explores the Makers theme of Gardening and includes explanatory sidebars and a gardening-related activity for young makers to try themselves.
How to Grow an Apple Pie
It's easy to make an apple pie, but what does it take to make the apples? Sophie is about to find out! First, the apple trees need to be about six years old—just like Sophie. Next, they need to be pruned, and the bees have to pollinate their blossoms! After that, the tiny apples grow through the summer until they're ready to pick in the fall. Finally, it's time for Sophie to make the perfect pie!
I Love Strawberries!
Through Jolie's comical scrapbook-style journal entries, readers will learn how she convinces "old people" (her parents) to let her grow her own strawberries. Growing strawberries is a lot of work and responsibility, but Jolie is ready with the help of her faithful rabbit Munchy! Together they find out just how delicious, rewarding, and sometimes complicated it can be to grow your own food.
Jack & the Hungry Giant Eat Right with MyPlate
Yummy! Colorful images of fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein foods fill the pages of this picture book starring Jack of beanstalk fame. Fortunately, the friendly giant in this version of the story is happy to invite a guest for dinner. As they cook together, Jack learns about the food groups that are a part of a well-balanced meal. The book is an appetizing way to introduce children to the MyPlate nutrition program, written and illustrated by Loreen Leedy.
Las calabacitas de Zora (Spanish Edition)
The first zucchini of a summer garden is always exciting, but what happens when the plants just keep growing...and growing...and growing? Zora soon finds herself with more zucchini than her family can bake, saute, or barbecue. Fortunately, the ever-resourceful girl comes up with the perfect plan—a garden swap!
Linh's Rooftop Garden
Linh is having a picnic in her rooftop garden for all of her friends, and she needs help searching for blueberries to finish preparing her dishes. What do we know about blueberries? They're small, blue, and grow on bushes—and, just a second, is that a blueberry? No, that's. gooseberry. Where, oh, where could those blueberries be? Can you help Linh find them in time for her picnic?
Look Inside Food
Look Inside Food is an all-inclusive book highlighting the production of our food from the farm to our table. This interactive flap book includes extensive information and illustrations about the origin of our foods including grains, fruit and vegetables, and food from animals such as milk, meat, and eggs. Even sugar and chocolate begins its production on a farm.
Memory Garden
A lively afternoon together in Nana's garden is full of laughter, discovery, and connection. In lyrical text that blends past and present, Memory Garden takes us to the places we leave behind but never forget.
Migrant
Anna is the child of Mennonites from Mexico, who have come north to harvest fruits and vegetables. Sometimes she feels like a bird, flying north in the spring and south in the fall, sometimes like a jackrabbit in an abandoned burrow, since her family occupies an abandoned farmhouse near the fields, sometimes like a kitten, as she shares a bed with her sisters...But above all Anna wonders what it would be like to be a tree rooted deeply in the earth, watching the seasons come and go, instead of being like a "feather in the wind."
Miss MacDonald has a Farm
"Miss MacDonald has a farm, She loves things that grow!" E-I-E-I-GROW! With a "weed-weed" here and a "pick-pick" there, young readers can follow Miss MacDonald as she tends to her vegetable farm. It's a rollicking, rhyming read-aloud that ends in a community feast and celebrates themes of healthy eating, local produce, gardens, seasons, and female farmers.
Oliver's Fruit Salad
Oliver is off to stay with Grandpa, who grows his own vegetables. But Oliver doesn't eat vegetables—only chips. How will Grandpa persuade him into a week of healthy eating?
Our Apple Tree
A whimsical and very useful look at the life cycle of the apple tree. With the help of two helpful tree sprites as guides, readers travel from spring, when the apple tree blossoms, through summer, when the fruit grows, to fall and the harvest. Along the way, you'll learn about the life of the tree and the animals that visit—from insects that pollinate the flowers to deer that eat the fallen fruit.
Peach Heaven
The white peaches grown in Puchon are the best in all South Korea and are a rare treat for a little girl who lives in the town. She dreams of a peach orchard where she can play and eat as much of the delicious fruit as she wishes. Then one day, after weeks of heavy downpours, the sky begins to rain peaches. Yangsook finds herself in peach heaven—until she remembers the farmers who have lost their harvest, and decides she must help them.
Plant Secrets
Young scientists will love this nature mystery that reveals the secrets hiding in seeds, plants, flowers, and fruits throughout the life cycle of various flora. Curiosity will bloom in this introduction to botany and primary nature science. Plants come in all shapes and sizes, but they go through the same stages as they grow. Using four common plants, young readers learn about plant structure and life cycles.
Plants Feed Me
Plants Feed Me is an early elementary, non-fiction picture book about the plant foods we eat. This book describes which parts of plants are edible in simple accessible language using botanically realistic illustrations. Basic botanical science concepts of seed, sprout, flower, fruit, and plant structure are introduced with words and pictures.
Radio Man
Diego and his family are migrant farmers who move from state to state picking fruits and vegetables. Each day brings a new experience—a different place, a different crop, and different people to meet. But no matter where Diego goes, his radio goes with him—it helps him to learn about the places he's going and to keep in touch with the people he meets along the way.
Rah, Rah, Radishes!: A Vegetable Chant
Know any kids that don't like veggies? Here's a book that's sure to change their hungry minds. Rah, Rah, Radishes! celebrates fresh vegetables, nature's bright colors, and the joy of healthy eating.
Rooftop Garden
Set to a foot-tappin' original tune, this rhythmic, rhyming story shows a group of city friends work diligently together to grow herbs and vegetables in a rooftop garden, concluding with a summer harvest and feast that celebrates the gardeners' commitment.
Spring is for Strawberries
When a farm family brings their spring crops to a city farmers market, the farmer's daughter befriends the daughter of a neighborhood family doing their weekly shopping. Over the course of a year, the girls explore the bounty of each season. Sweet spring strawberries and crisp, fresh greens make way for corn on the cob, peppers, and a rainbow of tomatoes. Fall brings pumpkin patches and the crunch of apples. The friends part at the final winter market, already looking forward to the sweet red strawberries that will unite them again next spring.
Thank a Farmer
Bread, milk, wool, fruits, and vegetables: things that fill our day to day lives. But where, and who, do they come from? Across wheat fields and city rooftop gardens, mushroom beds and maple forests, trace food and clothing back to the people who harvested and created them. Thank a Farmer gently emphasizes the importance of agriculture and reminds readers to give thanks to farmworkers around the world.
The Apple Pie Tree
Two young sisters watch in fascination as their apple tree changes, from bare in winter to a burst of pink blossoms in the spring. When autumn comes, the small green apples have grown big enough for picking—and for pie! This colorfully illustrated book shows how apples are produced and how apple trees change with the seasons.
The Fruits We Eat
This book teaches accurate science about fruits and the production of fruits. It is a book of facts, examples, and illustrations. Facts taught include: How fruits are included in a healthy diet, different ways fruits are eaten, types of plants that grow fruit (tree, bush, vine, etc.), parts of a fruit, colors of fruit, and sweet fruits vs. tart fruits. The illustrations are very detailed and include many diagrams.
The Peach Pit Parade
When Polly's father goes overseas to fight in World War I, her whole world changes. Though the war is in Europe, its effects are felt on American soil. There are food, fuel, and other supply shortages everywhere. Even something as simple and enjoyable as a family Sunday car ride isn't possible anymore. Everyone must do their part to help the war effort. Victory gardens are planted and scrap metal is collected. "It's the biggest event in our history. And it involves every single adult, every single boy, and every single girl," says Polly's teacher. As Polly struggles to make sense of the war, she wonders how she can contribute. When the government puts out a notice requesting peach pits to be used in gas mask filters, Polly knows how she can help.
The Pie that Molly Grew
Using "The House that Jack Built" rhyme scheme and beginning with the planting of a single seed, the journey of bringing a pumpkin to harvest comes to life for young readers. Under Molly's watchful eye and care, each stage of growth—from the seed to the sprout to the leaves to the final fruit on the vine—is showcased. And at the end, Molly's lovely pumpkin is turned into a delicious pie for one and all to share in a celebration of gratitude. All from the seed that Molly sowed.
The Story of Food: An Illustrated History of Everything We Eat
This glorious visual celebration of food in all its forms reveals the extraordinary cultural impact of the foods we eat, explores the early efforts of humans in their quest for sustenance, and tells the fascinating stories behind individual foods. With profiles of the most culturally and historically interesting foods of all types, from nuts and grains, fruits and vegetables, and meat and fish, to herbs and spices, this fascinating culinary historical reference provides the facts on all aspects of each food's unique story. Feature spreads shine a spotlight on influential international cuisines and the local foods that built them. The Story of Food explains how foods have become the cornerstone of our culture, from their origins to how they are eaten and their place in world cuisine.
The Summer My Father Was Ten
That was the summer the boy lost a baseball under a tomato plant in Mr. Bellavista's garden. And someone tossed a tomato back instead of a baseball. A lively battle took place, which seemes like great fun at the time, but in the end Mr. Bellavista's garden had been destroyed. In a touching story of one boy's efforts to make amends, we see the rebuilding of a garden and the forming of a relationship across generations.
The Very Oldest Pear Tree
In the 1630s in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, a Puritan settler planted a pear tree—the first pear tree in America. More than a century later, the tree still bore fruit, impressing a famous poet and one of the first US presidents. The pear tree survived hurricanes, fire, and vandalism, and today, more than 350 years after it was first planted, it's alive and strong, and clones of it grow all around the US. This is the amazing true story of the Endicott Pear tree, and how it grew up with our nation.
Try It! How Frieda Caplan Changed the Way We Eat
Meet fearless Frieda Caplan—the produce pioneer who changed the way Americans eat by introducing exciting new fruits and vegetables, from baby carrots to blood oranges to kiwis. In 1956, Frieda Caplan started working at the Seventh Street Produce Market in Los Angeles. Instead of competing with the men in the business with their apples, potatoes, and tomatoes, Frieda thought, why not try something new? Starting with mushrooms, Frieda began introducing fresh and unusual foods to her customers—snap peas, seedless watermelon, mangos, and more! This groundbreaking woman brought a whole world of delicious foods to the United States, forever changing the way we eat. Frieda Caplan was always willing to try something new—are you?
Up, Down, and Around
From seeds dropping into soil to corn bursting from its stalks, from children chasing butterflies to ants burrowing underground, everything in this vibrant picture book pulses with life—in all directions! Sprightly illustrations set the mood for a rhythmic text that follows nature's course to a feast of backyard bounty.
What's in the Garden?
Good food doesn't begin on a store shelf with a box. It comes from a garden bursting with life, color, smells, sunshine, moisture, birds, and bees! Healthy food becomes much more interesting when children know where it comes from. So what's in a garden? Children will find a variety of fruits and vegetables and a tasty, kid-friendly recipe for each one to start a lifetime of good eating. A "Food for Thought" section explains facts about each fruit and vegetable, and a "How Does Your Garden Grow?" section explains facts about gardening and the parts of plants.
Zora's Zucchini
The first zucchini of a summer garden is always exciting, but what happens when the plants just keep growing...and growing...and growing? Zora soon finds herself with more zucchini than her family can bake, saute, or barbecue. Fortunately, the ever-resourceful girl comes up with the perfect plan—a garden swap!
Booklet/Reader
Jr. Sprout - Funky Foods
Blue tomatoes, red bananas, and green oranges - is this possible? Yes, it is with the help and knowledge of farmers and scientists. Changes in color or taste made to fruits and vegetables can create healthier foods. This booklet an activity and provides colorful images and information regarding healthy fruits and vegetables through standards of science, math and English.
Jr. Sprout - Healthy Eating
This creative activity booklet engages students to create their own food faces while using healthy fruits and vegetables grown in a vegetable garden. It also discusses challenges that people encounter while selecting "bad foods" that contain oils, sugars, and fats versus "good foods."
Learn More: Farmers Market
Learn more about food grown in all 50 states in this digital magazine. Each page includes top agricultural states, crop life cycles, fun facts, special days, and more. Start a conversation about where food comes from.
Movie/Video
Apples
This 30-minute video begins with the legend of Johnny Appleseed and then goes on to explore apples in pioneer times with the story of the McIntosh apple. An orchard is visited over the seasons from winter pruning, spring blossoms with bees and pollination, spring planting, summer thinning to fall harvesting. Viewers even get to see apple cells through an electron microscope and learn how to clone an apple tree.
George the Farmer
Join George the Farmer from Australia in his YouTube video series to discover the paddock to plate or paddock to product journey of some of your favorite products, including apples, wool, dairy, chickpeas, potatoes, chickens, and wheat.
That's So Sweet! – A Look at Honey Production in the Twin Cities
Follow along on the fascinating journey of honey from the hive to your home. Kristy Lynn Allen, head beekeeper at the Beez Kneez introduces the process of honey collection, extraction, and delivery. Learn the important role honey bees play in honey production and the pollination of some of our favorite fruits and vegetables!
The Importance of Pollinators
Pollinators are vitally important to agriculture, as well as our food system and ecosystems. They help thousands of flowering plants reproduce, from flowers to fruits and even some crops. Pollinator habitat can also provide benefits on the farm, such as preventing soil erosion and improving biodiversity. This video collection discusses the importance of pollinators and provides examples of the successful implementation of pollinator habitats on farmland.
Top 10 Foods That Originally Looked Totally Different
Everyday foods, fruit and veggies used to look totally different before we started cultivating them. But did you know they haven’t always looked like they currently do? Here are 10 fruits and veggies that looked very different before we started cultivating them!
Will the Last Farmer in America Please Turn Out the Light? video
Immigration policy affects how we eat... what we eat... and how much it costs. Discover the necessity farmers have for skilled labor in order to plant, grow, and harvest the food on our tables. When did immigrant farm labor begin and what challenges would occur if this work force was lost?
Poster/Infographic
Dig In! Posters
These dynamic posters visually express the world of possibilities found in growing and eating fruits and vegetables. Display them in your classroom, the school cafeteria, and throughout the school to motivate students to choose more fruits and vegetables at meals and as snacks. Horizontal posters are 24" x 36". Vertical posters are 36" x 24". Posters are available in
PDF or upon request from
USDA Team Nutrition.
Nutrition Posters
How would you rather eat calcium, fiber, iron, protein, vitamin C, and zinc? This set of posters provides examples of foods that fit into each category and includes nutrition information about each.
Parts of a Strawberry Plant Poster
The fruits and vegetables we eat come from parts of a plant. Flowering plants have six main parts. Use this 28" x 24" laminated poster of a strawberry plant to label and discuss the functions of the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds.
Order this poster online from agclassroomstore.com.
Plant Part Chart
The fruits and vegetables we eat come from parts of a plant. Identify examples of roots, stems, leaves, flower, fruit, and seeds from every letter of the alphabet using this colorful 25" x 30" poster.
Order this poster online from agclassroomstore.com.
Tree Fruits Flowchart
This three-page informational sheet describes the process of how tree fruit crops are grown and harvested, how the products get from the farm to the store, and nutrition facts. Words and graphics are used to portray this information for apples, cherries, oranges, peaches, and pears.
Print your own or order a set of 30" x 8" printed charts from
agclassroomstore.com.
Teacher Reference
Botany on Your Plate: Investigating Plants We Eat
This investigative science curriculum introduces the world of plants to elementary school students through foods we eat. Watch children's understanding of our world grow as they partake in hands-on activities that explore edible roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds through observation, dissection, journaling, discussion of findings, and, of course, tasting! This book can be used in educators' instruction to support standards in nutrition, math, language arts, and social studies. Every lesson includes plant snacks that spark curiosity, interesting questions, and social dialogue to fuel the learning process.
Edible Gardening: Growing Your Own Vegetables, Fruits, and More
This gardening guide provides fun and creative ideas for growing vegetables, fruits, and more. It lists of everything you need and easy, step-by-step instructions accompany each project. Grow a pepper plant in an upside-down planter or plant a spaghetti garden. Teachers will be inspired to create edible class gardens with their students.
Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques
The definitive guide to the best gardening techniques from pruning and propagation and planting to harvesting by the American Horticultural Society. This step-by-step guide contains a vast amount of expert information clearly demonstrating the tried-and-tested techniques honed by the world's leading garden authority. The book covers every aspect of gardening from pruning to sowing, watering to feeding, and propagating to planting. Covering all plants including trees, flowers, shrubs, climbers, lawns, vegetables, fruit and herb, it shows how to create water features and patios, and add lighting. It also includes organic techniques, recycling, and how to treat pests and diseases.
Grow it Again
This resource will help you find creative solutions to growing affordable plants in the classroom. You may find it hard to believe, but the makings of a fantastic growing experience are probably in your kitchen right now. Don't put those carrot tops in the compost or throw out the seeds in that apple core—try growing them instead. Turn a peanut into an unusual flower or a beet top into a leafy plant. The step-by-step illustrated instructions in this book make it easy!
Website
Producepedia
Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are all considered produce. Producepedia is a website devoted to teaching about these important food crops. Find fun facts about various produce, learn about how and where it is grown, when it is in season, and watch videos from top chefs about how to cook and prepare the produce for eating.
Science in Your Shopping Cart
We pay less for food than citizens of other nations; the United States enjoys the cheapest food in the world. Each year, dozens of improved products and new varieties of fruits, nuts, and vegetables emerge from the laboratories and greenhouses of the Agricultural Research Service. But walking through the grocery store, do we ever consider where such an abundance and variety of food and products come from?
View the Science in Your Shopping Cart eReader or order copies from AgClassroomStore. (Fall 2024)
Learn about ARS research and how it affects your food using the
Science in Your Shopping Cart Factsheets and the
Science in Your Shopping Cart Podcasts.