Ag in the Classroom

AG IN THE CLASSROOM RESOURCES & KITS

This list includes some of the resources available from the AITC program. Be sure to also check the listing in the current Program Guide listed above.

These kits are available on a free-loan basis. Kits may be reserved in advance. Check out varies from 1-2 weeks. Individual situations are considered.

Farmer Mac's Farm

Watch your students' imaginations soar as they set up the big red barn and all the farm animals. Toy farm equipment will take them through a season of "farming". Complete a thematic unit on agriculture with the included DVDs, books and games. Consider checking this kit out for free play or indoor recess time. Check out for 2 weeks.

The Wheat We Eat

This kit includes lessons, books, DVDs, and other resources appropriate for students K -4. Teacher's Manual includes lessons in the areas of Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. All lessons include Illinois Standards and State Goals.

Adventures Around the Farm

Books, posters, DVDs, etc. for K-4 students. Teacher's manual includes lessons in language arts, math, social studies, and science. All are linked to Illinois Learning Standards.

Pigs on the Farm

You will find Math logic puzzles and glyphs, reading pages and poetry, maps, and more all on the topic of pigs and all linked to Illinois Learning Standards in this kit. Ideas for arts & crafts, music and snacks to make are included. Help your students understand how pigs and pig by-products are part of their world too.

Seasons on the Farm

This kit for K-4 students focuses on the four seasons. Lessons in the areas of language arts, math, social studies and science relate to the seasons. In addition to lessons you will find stamps for paint, DVDs, books and posters.

A Hog Ate My Homework

Appropriate for grades 2 through 5, this kit provides activities to accompany reading Gary Metivier's book, A Hog Ate My Homework.

MAGic KITS

Abracadabra! Alohomora! Open the doors... of active discovery and watch your students explore the depths of the Agriculture industry.  The lessons in the mAGic kits are multidisciplinary, all inclusive, and designed to bring math, science, social studies and English to life through agriculture in every classroom.

Sim Sala Bim! Engage he, her or him . . . with learning English, math, science and social studies through agriculture. The mAGic kits address the Illinois Learning Standards. mAGic kits include all of the necessary components to allow students to develop skills in Math, Science, Social Studies and English Language Arts, grades 4th-8th. The kit lessons include exercises in:

• mapping
• graphing
• sequencing
• reading
• writing
• experimentation
• research and much more.

Insect mAGic

Insects have a tremendous impact the quality, quantity, and cost of crops and food products. Students will discover this through the lessons and activities in this kit. Mapping exercises allow students to follow butterflies on migration patterns. Students spend the day in the life of a variety of insects, discovering wingspan, life cycles, anatomy, economics, and social hierarchy patterns of common insects.

Plant mAGic

Lessons take root in addressing a variety of problem solving topics in plant propagation, production and processing. Students conduct experiments in discovering plants differences and learning plant ecosystems. Students will sequence Illinois plant products moving throughout the state, research the discoveries of George Washington Carver and add up the money Illinois plants funnel into our state and national economy.

Dairy mAGic

This kit provides hands-on experiences for students as they become involved in exploring the processes of using milk, acids, enzymes, bacteria, heat and cold to make cottage cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Students will solve math logic puzzles, determine how much one cow produces in it's lifetime. Students will also dive into history and explore some of our economy's top issues of supply and demand.

Poultry mAGic

Poultry mAGic doesn't solve the looming question of, "Which came first the chicken or the egg?" Yet, students will uncover interesting facts about poultry production in the United States. The kit includes math logic puzzles, graphing problems, mapping activities, and a variety of experiments that allow for hands on learning in an industry that they experience in their daily lives.

Soil mAGic

Soils are alive and students will discover this by conducting experiments in soil pH, creating soil profiles, learning the soil scientific components and speaking out for soil issues. Students will unveil the history of crop rotation, dig into the Dust bowl, discover the symbols of Illinois and what makes Illinois a unique state. The kit includes math logic puzzles, word and graphing problems.

Illinois mAGic

This kit provides hands-on experiences for students as they map their route through Illinois, all the while, stopping at locations taking them from stockyards to skyscrapers, looking into the land of the livestock and trading futures on the Chicago Board of Trade. The Illinois kit allows students to see the 7 Wonders of Illinois, watch prairie plants adapt right before their eyes and tour Illinois Indian cultures.

As the prairie state unfolds in these lessons, students will experience the Lincoln Douglas debates, investigate Illinois sites, meet famous Illinoisans, stop at McDonald's for a bite of history, and discover all the great things that come from Illinois. Navigating Illinois waterways will allow the students to see just how diverse our state is, with Amish settlements and coal mines throughout the state. Yet the wealth of our state is found in its' soil.

Students will measure and learn to treasure Illinois trees and discover how Illinois products are processed. This kit provides lessons that move Illinois plant products throughout the state, unveil the history of Illinois agriculture, dig into the research of Illinois inventors and add up the money Illinois agriculture funnels into our economy. Students will solve logic puzzles, dive into history and explore some of our Illinois' greatest attributes.

Machine mAGic

Students will learn about the history of farm machinery and the impact of modern farming techniques on families and communities. They'll also learn how inventors John Deere and Cyrus McCormick helped shape modern agriculture. Hands-on exercises let students identify machinery parts and estimate machinery costs. This kit has a series of lessons that will allow students to "Tinker Outside of the Box". These "Tinker" lessons utilize all four disciplines and enable your students to use common everyday products to construct a machine that possesses mobility. By utilizing all four "Tinker" lessons, students will take a project from design development, through machine construction and prototype testing, to learning about scale drawings and even applying for a patent.

AGRILEARNING KITS

These kits are designed for K-5 grades to provide a selection of activities and necessary supplies to teach about the chosen topic or theme while addressing Illinois Learning Standards across all subject areas. They are intended to be "resource materials" kits. While some hands-on supplies are provided, because of the number of activities included in the various books and guides within each kit, such supplies are only included to complete some of the lessons. Each kit comes with a teacher's guide, video, books, and lots of other resources. These kits are available on a free-loan basis.

• Getting to the Core: Apples and Orchard
• Pumpkin Patch: A Vine Through Time
• Pondering Pizza: A Slice of Agriculture
• Unraveling Fibers: More Than Just Clothes
• Dairy Cow Capers: Exploring Dairy Farming & Nutrition
• Eggsploring Poultry: Cracking the Egg

AGRISCIENCE KITS

These kits are self-contained teaching units for grades 7 - 12, whereby students learn science and math concepts by hands-on applied agricultural laboratory exercises. These kits come in a tub containing a teacher's guide which includes teacher information, lab instructions and procedures, student worksheets, and handouts. The curriculum addresses the science and math state learning standards and are cited in the teacher's guide. Each kit contains all the necessary materials to perform the learning activities. Even though these kits are very easy to use, instructional videos are provided for additional guidance. These kits are available on a free-loan basis.

• Hydroponics
• Growing Better Every Day Using Genetics
• Horticulture Careers
• Horticulture