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CORN THEME

CRAFTS:

Corn Cob Farmers
Cut a 38 mm section of dried cob for a body and a 25 mm section for a head. Turn the head on its side, glue to the body and add a face using a marker pen. Split a 50 mm section of corn stalk in two for legs and glue to the bottom of the body. Split a 25 mm section of corn stalk in four, glue on two pieces as arms, then bend the ends slightly to make hands. Experiment to see if you can add corn silk hair and other corn husk details (e.g. hat, tie, necker). To make husks pliable and easy to shape, try soaking them in warm water for five minutes. When the figure is complete, add a screw eye and loop of fishing line in the top of the head for hanging.

Corn Husk Farmers
1. Gather the husks, and tie them tightly together at one end with the yarn or string. 
2. To make the head, tie the husks a little way down from the top knot.
3. Gather three of the husks and tie them together halfway down arm. Cut away most of the excess corn husk that is below the knots. 
4. To make the body, tie the remaining corn husks halfway between the head and their ends. 
5. Make the legs by taking three husks and tying them together a little way up from their ends. 
6. Make the other leg the same way.
7. Decorate with coloured felt-tipped markers, construction paper, fabric or any other craft  supplies you may have.

Corn Cob Printing 
Allow your child to use a dried corn cob as a brush or roll the cob in paint and onto a piece of paper. 

Corn Collage
Use corn kernels for this project. First draw the outline of a corn cob on a piece of paper. Then put glue inside the outline and have your child place the kernels inside the shape.

Corn Pictures
Use corn kernels for this project. Let the children glue the kernels on the paper.

Fingerprint Corn
Supply each child with a piece of white paper and yellow non-toxic stamp pads. Show the child how to make fingerprints on the paper, using only one finger at a time. When finished, add husks with a green pen. 

Husk Rubbings 
Have the child place a corn husk under a piece of paper, and rub the paper with crayon, and the husk shape will appear. This works much better with green husks.

Torn Paper Corn
Draw a ear of corn on a piece of white paper. Tear yellow paper into dime sized bits (enough to cover your corn drawing.) and green paper into strips. Have your child glue the torn pieces of paper onto the drawing of the ear of corn, using the yellow paper as kernels, and the green paper as the husk.

GAMES & ACTIVITIES:

Corn Cob and Ring
Make a toy as a craft at your harvest celebration and play this simple game. It’s based on a Native game played by Algonquin Indians, Inuit, Ecuadorians and Colombians. Each kid needs a dried corn cob (stripped of kernels), a 2 cm ring cut from a toilet roll, a 40 cm length of string, and markers to decorate the ring. A leader might do the first step while your kids are busy decorating. Knot the string at one end, thread it onto a tapestry needle, and pull the needle  through the tip of the corn cob. Remove the needle and let your kids tie the free end of the string around the ring. Younger kids will need help. To play the game, hold the corn cob at the base, flick the wrist to toss up the ring, and catch it on the tip of the cob. It’s great for eye-hand coordination! 

Corn Cob Darts
Native Canadian youngsters made a simple toy kids will enjoy. Push two or three bird feathers picked up on a ramble or at a craft store into one end of a 10 cm piece of dried corn cob (kernels removed). Mark a target on the ground and a throwing line some distance away. Who can hit the target? 

Corn Husk Kicking
Take a handful of corn husks and tie them with a piece of yarn. Make one for each group. Hang the corn husk so it is level with most of your kids’ waists. Let the kids take turns going up to the corn husks and kicking them in different ways. Raise the corn husks to increase the level of challenge.

How Many Kernels? 
Place some popcorn kernels into a clear plastic container. Have the children guess how many kernels are in the container. Record each child guess. Then count them together. 

Pretend to be popcorn
Have the children pretend to be a kernel of popcorn. Direct them through the process. First start by having them crouch down, then as you tell them they are getting warmer, have them shake their hands, then head, then they shake all over, then have them jump up and say "pop".
 

SONGS:

Little Boy Blue 
Little boy blue, Come blow your horn, 
The sheep's in the meadow 
The cow's in the corn 
But where is the boy, 
Who looks after the sheep? 
He's under a haystack, 
Fast asleep.
 

STORIES:

Have any good stories? Let us know!
 

FOOD SUGGESTIONS:

Popping Popcorn
What happens when you heat up corn kernels? Get an air popper and let the children watch the corn kernels pop. Be sure to let the children know that the container is hot. WARNING: Popcorn is a choking hazard and should never be served to children under the age of three. Children over the age of three should be directly supervised while eating popcorn.
 

TIPS/NOTES:

Farm Corn Field
Take a field trip to a corn field. You may even be able to find a corn field maze near your child care.