For kids into oats

Janet Hainstock has written a story about a little boy who loves his oatmeal (especially the toppings!), and another story about a heifer named "Canadian" who loves oats, too.

If you’re looking for an entertaining explanation of where your oatmeal comes from, Saskatchewan, Canada, farmer "Quick Dick McDick" has posted a series of videos aimed at helping children understand just that:

• Little Quicks - An Ode to Oats Part 1
• Little Quicks - An Ode to Oats Part 2
• Sow Your Seed
• Spray, you say?
• Combine to the Finish Line, and
• Haulin' Oats

There's also a YouTube series called "Learning About Ag with Mady", that includes videos about bins and grain drying. Learn more about getting oats "from farm to fork" in Ontario, Canada here.

Oats are a good thing! Check out the Foundations of SK Agriculture information sheet on oats and the RHET video "Awesome oats". There are also virtual classroom resources concerning different grains from Good in Every Grain (Grain Farmers of Ontario) and Alberta Heath Services. More on technology and sustainable farming can be found here.

For kids who want to learn more about plant diversity, Axel Diederichsen explains the importance of Canada’s National Genebank in this video, where he interacts with kids from a number of elementary school classes.

Playtime? Try this recipe for oat playdough! More fun family activities using grains can be found here.

Here's an activity book for kids about plant health: "Izzy the Inspector", and if you'd like to play a game, Danny Ward has created one. The game board, pieces, and instructions can be downloaded from this Google Drive site.

To learn about the structure of DNA, kids can make these DNA keychains using simple macramé.

Coming up to Christmas? Don't forget to leave out some food for the reindeer! (This second recipe comes with a whole lesson plan for young children.)