During our corn unit, I put together a fun, hands-on, and Montessori-inspired activity to learn about the parts of corn. My kids had a great time dissecting an ear of corn and learning about all the parts that make up both an ear of corn and an entire corn plant.
Note: For more corn activities, see my Corn Unit Study page.
We started learning about the parts of corn by dissecting an ear of corn. Our first task was to remove the husk from the corn. As we did, we discussed how corn husks were used by the Native Americans to make corn husk dolls, and we brainstormed other uses for corn husks.
We also removed the corn silks from the ear.
My kids were laughing so hard playing with the silks, putting them on their heads, and doing other silly things.
We also broke the ear of corn in half and looked at a cross section of the ear. We knew from our seed unit that each kernel of corn is actually a separate seed.
Then, I pulled out a set of corn 3-part cards showing the different parts of the corn plant. We reviewed those cards, and worked to match them together.
These cards provided a great opportunity to build some new vocabulary words.
The Corn 3-Part Cards pictured feature only my Corn Plant 3-Part Cards. I have also created a set of Ear of Corn 3-Part Cards. Both sets feature beautiful, detailed graphics your kids will enjoy. Learn more about my Corn 3-Part Cards by clicking here.
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More corn resources
More corn posts from Gift of Curiosity:
- Books about corn
- How to make corn husk dolls
- Math activities with corn kernels
- Corn fine motor activities
- Sprouting Indian corn
- Indian corn popcorn in the microwave
- Simple corn crafts for kids
For more corn activities, see my Corn Unit Study page or my Corn Unit Study board on Pinterest!
Follow Katie @ Gift of Curiosity’s board Corn Unit Study on Pinterest.
This looks like such a fun activity. It’s funny how something we see very often (like an ear of corn) can become an entire unit study once we begin exploring it. Thanks for sharing this! 🙂