Nuts to You!

Nuts to You!
Rosalynn Carter: Economics, Discovery and Daily Life

Skill: Middle School
Time Required: One to two class periods


Introduction:

Jimmy Carter left the Navy to return to Plains, Ga., to operate the family’s business and peanut farm.  There is much involved in getting a peanut from the ground to the can of roasted peanuts in the store.

Objectives:

Many students have little concept of the steps of food processing. The purpose of this lesson is to acquaint students with the process by which food moves from the farms of our nation to the shelves of the neighborhood grocery store, using peanuts as the focus.    

Materials Required:

Access to the Internet; access to print materials; art supplies if desired.

Procedures:

Ask students if their parents have a family garden or if they are familiar with the process by which food is preserved—either canning or freezing.  Tell them that they will develop a step-by-step flow chart, using peanuts as the example, to explain how a food crop comes to their table.  Divide students into small groups and have them research the steps.  Then, as a group, they will create a way to present their findings to the class.

Extending the Lesson:

This lesson could be extended by having students research other foods, vegetables, meat, poultry, or fish.

Sources & Resources:

Websites:
 
The Peanut Institute 

Peanuts on Wikipedia 

Georgia Peanuts 

Virginia-Carolina Peanuts 

Planter’s Peanuts—A Century in a Nutshell 

 
Credits:
 
This lesson was developed by Bette Brooks, Kent State University.
 

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