Although there are many more fruits and veggies that could be fun for kids, I'm going to finish my "Making Gardening Fun for Kids" series with my kids' favorite, Indian popcorn!
1. Simple Picking: Kids will enjoy picking the popcorn because it's so easy! The stalks tend to be short, or 'kid size', and little ones can easily walk along pulling ears of popcorn off. If you have competitive kids, make a game out of it!
2. Husking: Like Opening Presents: With Indian popcorn, husking each ear is like opening another present and finding something new and beautiful inside. The kids find a lot of joy in this step of harvesting as they light up and excitedly show you the 'pink and purple' ear or the one that is 'all gold'! 
3. Grouping Families: The popcorn gets bundled into groups of three's to dry, or little 'families' to the kiddos. The kids can spend hours going through the ears of popcorn looking for three that are the same size and coordinating colors. These little 'families' spend a lot of time together so they need to have a lot in common ;-)
4. Shelling: When the popcorn in dry and ready to shell, the kids become more than willing to make their little thumbs sore to see who can shell the most! The best part is popping up a batch to enjoy while they're busy at work.
5. Gifting: After all the work that the kids go through, it's fun for them to have a chance to share their harvest. A bag of Indian popcorn, bundled with popcorn seasoning, hot cocoa and maybe some chocolate in a popcorn container makes a beautiful and delicious gift for teachers! :-)
This is the last post in the "Making Gardening Fun for Kids" series. To visit the rest of the posts, click here.
I need more details LOL Where do you buy Indian corn and when do you plant it? This would actually be super fun for the boys I think!
ReplyDeleteI like Indian Corn, I just think it's pretty!
ReplyDeleteWe planted corn last year. It was just sweet corn.
ReplyDeleteThat must be so much fun for them.
ReplyDeleteImagine eating popcorn from something that you grew and harvested!
Well I am a bit embarrassed. I am 48 years old & had no idea that you could eat Indian corn! I thought it was just a decoration. I'm going to be sure & share this with my son & daughter in law that like to garden. Our 4 grandchildren in Indiana will love this!
ReplyDeleteOk I could have sworn I commented on this ... ugh.
ReplyDeleteI love all that you do with the kids and teach them so much about the land.
I'm with Georgia I so didn't know that about Indian corn. LOL I always thought it was a pretty decoration.
We have grown Indian corn, but I never heard of popcorn Indian corn. Looks like a lot of fun and would make a fun gift.
ReplyDelete