Kalene Berte, Ag in the Classroom coordinator for Farm Bureau, used a picture-filled PowerPoint presentation and unique, hands-on learning opportunities with vintage farm equipment to help kids learn about farming in Iowa, from pioneer settlement to today.

The lesson began with the Native Americans who started farming the land thousands of years ago by growing maize (corn). Next, the students learned about immigration and the Homestead Act of 1862, which encouraged many settlers to move west.

The kids learned how many Iowans’ ancestors began their journey with little to nothing. Berte showed pictures of a covered wagon, log cabin, and a plow pulled by horses to explain that farming demanded hard, physical work, with every member of the family helping.

The kids discovered that farms in Iowa typically started out small, with only enough to feed the family and their animals. They viewed photos showing how advances in technology (including tractors) helped farmers grow more crops more efficiently.

“Today, the average farmer feeds almost 160 people,” Berte said.

To help kids experience hands-on history, Berte used a vintage, corn-husking glove and a stalk of corn to demonstrate how each ear of corn would have been picked and husked by hand in years past. Students received an ear of corn so they could learn how it felt to husk the corn and shell it by hand. The students also had the opportunity to finish shelling their ear with an antique, hand-cranked corn sheller.

“They decided that shelling the corn took time and was hard work,” said Berte, who added that the students were excited to take their shelled corn home.

An antique, hand-held corn planter also offered a unique learning experience for the students. They could hear the kernels fall from the planter box down the metal bracket to the bottom of the planter and watched how the kernels fell out when the handles were closed.

“I wanted the students to understand that all farmers, not just corn farmers, had to do their work by hand in years past,” Berte added. “For this, I brought in some cotton bolls and cotton cards and explained how cotton was picked and processed by hand until machines like the cotton gin were invented.”

Learning about old-school education

Berte taught the students that children in previous generations helped with many chores on the farm, in addition to going to school. Back then, most farm children walked or rode their horse to a one-room schoolhouse, where all eight grades were taught by one teacher.

In the early 1900s, Iowa had about 12,000 country schools located every two miles. The students learned that most schools did not have electricity years ago. They were also surprised to hear that most children (especially boys) did not attend school after eighth grade, because they went to work full time on the farm.

To answer the question “What did kids do for fun back then?” Berte showcased simple, homemade toys. She brought a tree vine and played tug-of-war and demonstrated how it could be used as a jump rope, too. She also made a family of corn husk dolls and left one of the dolls for the class to have on display. In addition, students were shown a replica of a wooden ball-and-cup game and a vintage spinning top.

The lesson concluded with every student receiving a ball-and-cup game that Berte made from supplies in her home. The kids challenged their hand-eye coordination as they attempted to get their ball in their paper cup.

“This Ag in the Classroom history lesson provides a great opportunity for students to gain a better understanding of how difficult farm life was for early Americans and how advancements in technology continually improve agriculture, allowing farmers to feed our growing world,” Berte said.

On behalf of Farm Bureau, Berte would like to thank all the teachers who support the integration of agriculture into their classroom lessons. She also thanks Humboldt-area farmer Mike Ludwig for providing the ears of corn and soybean plants to make these lessons possible.