Lesson and Activity Ideas

In this section you will find a variety of free lesson and activity resources that connect kids with how we live on planet Earth.
Please note that most of these lessons are not from CLL (GITG & WWL) curricula, but align with CLL's principles and hands-on approach.

Value-added Agriculture Lessons

“Since new developments are the products of a creative mind, we must therefore stimulate and encourage that type of mind in every way possible.”
-George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver came up with hundreds of uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes. He was involved in value-added agriculture long before we started using the term. His discoveries did great things for the people involved in agriculture and for the southern economy. These lessons will hopefully stimulate some thinking and present a more current view of value-added agriculture, especially in the big agricultural state of Iowa.

Value-added Agriculture 101: What is it? (Grades 2 and Up)
Good Morning Agriculture! (Grades 3 and Up)
Value-added Agriculture Relay (Grades K-6)
Agriculture Bingo Game (pdf)
Agriculture and You! Discover the importance (pdf) (A 50+ page activity manual)
The Ag Times (pdf)
- History of the Land
- Connecting you with the agricultural products you use

Prairie Lessons

The tallgrass prairie is a powerful tool to study language arts, math, science, social studies, and the arts.

Here are four hands-on lesson ideas to get you started. Learn more about why prairies are important.

Prairies Through the Eyes of Laura Ingalls Wilder (Grades 3-5)
Get to the Root of Things Comparing Root Systems and Root Depth (Grades 4-6)
What is a Native Plant? (Grades 3-6)
Benefits of Native Plantings in Yards, Gardens and Vacant Lots (Grades 6+)

Water Lessons

No matter how you say it, water is vital to life on Earth. We can’t live without it. Survival of all plants, animals, and people on Earth depends on quality water. Water is one of the most essential elements to good health -- it is necessary for the digestion and absorption of food; helps maintain proper muscle tone; supplies oxygen and nutrients to the cells; rids the body of wastes; and serves as a natural air conditioning system. Health and nutrition experts emphasize the importance of drinking at least eight glasses of clean water each and every day to maintain good health. The more you learn about water, the more fascinating it becomes. These lessons incorporate science, social studies, math and language arts in fun activities that stimulate critical thinking in students of all ages.

Don't Use It All Up! (Grades K - 12)
Water Has Many Looks (Grades 1-3)
Water Jeopardy Game (Grades 5-9)
Thirstin's Wacky Water Adventure (pdf) (Grades K-3)
Groundwater.org: Kids Corner

Soil Lessons

How important is it that we help our youth learn about the soil? How can you fit lessons about soil into standards for science, social studies and math? Read over these lessons and hopefully the answers to these questions will inspire you to do the activities in your classroom or after-school program.

Tomato Lessons

Are you growing tomatoes in your garden this year? If you are, you're not alone. Approximately 35 million people in the United States grow tomato plants in the summer. It is the most popular garden crop, which means many people like to eat them.

Late summer is a great time to use tomatoes as a way to teach about comparisons, history, science, and health. If students can apply what they learn in a class or a program to what they eat or see at home, in gardens, or at the store, they will remember things better.