Oklahoma 4-H Beef Project Literature online

Ag in Art: Lascaux Cave Paintings

Some of the earliest known works of art were paintings of the ancient aurochs, ancestors of the present-day domesticated bovine we know, found on the walls of caves in Lascaux, France. The paintings are estimated to be 16,000 years old.

Ancient bulls painted on the walls of a cave in Lascaux, France.

Compare the cave painting of these bovine animals with some more modern depictions:

Extreme History: Wild West Cattle Drive

Three-minute History Channel video, with Roger Daltrey

May is National Hamburger Month, National Barbeque Month and National Beef Month.

• In 1888, an English doctor prescribed three hamburger meals a day as a cure for various ailments. Today his name is associated with a seasoned ground beef patty served with gravy. What is his name? (Salisbury, for whom Salisbury steak is named.)

• During World War I, hamburgers were called "Liberty Sandwiches" to avoid using words from the enemy's language.

• Was the hamburger invented in Oklahoma? Let your students decide. Read about it in The Humble Beginnings of the Hamburger.

Make a giant cheeseburger pillow

May Day

The Milkmaid's Life Upon the first of May, With Garlands fresh and gay They nimbly their feet do ply, In honour of Th' milking paile. -c1640 (Anon.)

• May 1 is May Day, the day celebrated by the Celts and Saxons as the first planting day. On May Day a queen of the May was elected from the eligible young women of the village to rule the crops until harvest. Our tradition of beauty pagents may have evolved from this competition.

• The Saxons began their May day celebrations on the eve of May, April 30. It was an evening of games and feasting celebrating the end of winter and the return of the sun and fertility of the soil. Torch-bearing peasants and villagers would wind their way up paths to the top of tall hills or mountain crags and then ignite wooden wheels, representing the sun, which they would roll down into the fields.

• In the early morning on May 1, women would wash their faces with the dew.  They believed this would improve their complexions and bring them eternal youthfulness.

• The custom of "bringing in the May" meant to go out in the field (or woods) early in the morning on May 1 and return with baskets full of flowers.  Sometimes these flowers would be strung together in long chains.  Another custom was to tie just one single blossom to the end of a long wand.  Sometimes the flowers made a crown for the May Queen. 

• Up until the end of the 19th century, the "May Birchers" in England would go from house to house on May Day Eve and decorate the doors with boughs of trees or flowers to signify their opinion of the person(s) inside that home.  In some areas, the plants were chosen because they rhymed with the word describing the person, for example "Fair of Face was signified by a pear bough on door, while someone considered glum would get plum branches.

•  In the 19th century, the custom of hanging small baskets filled with flowers became popular in the US.  It is still done in some communities today.  Many towns have organization that voluntarily place flower baskets in various public areas.  In other cases, the flower baskets are not real, but are made of woven strips of colored paper decorated with lace-paper doilies and ribbons.  They are filled with flowers, candy and sometimes a short poem with the name of the person for whom they are intended.  The custom is to hang the basket on the person's front door, ring the bell and then dash away before the door is opened.  In Iowa, it is the custom for children to leave May Baskets on the doors of those they have crushes on because flowers symbolize love, fertility and the arrival of spring.

Learning Activities:

• Students research other planting celebrations around the world.
• Students weave May baskets from strips of construction paper in spring colors.
• Students brainstorm a list of spring flowers, using gardening books or seed catalogs to add to the list. Students create poems by rhyming names of flowers or plants with (nice) words that describe their classmates.

P.A.S.S. for these activities

Writing Prompts

• Finish this simile: Asparagus pushes up through the soil in spring like_____
• Write a simile with blueberries as your central image.
• Describe the best salad you ever ate.
• You are a cowboy on a cattle drive. Write a letter home to your mother, letting her know what your days are like.
• You are exploring some caves when you come across a room with paintings of animals similar to those found in the Lascaux Caves in France. Describe your feelings. What would you do?
• Write instructions for building the perfect hamburger.
• Write a metaphor for ice cream or use ice cream as a metaphor for something else.
• Write a modern-day Mother Goose rhyme about cheese.
• Write a poem about the flowers in May.

P.A.S.S. for these activities

Oklahoma Fruit of the Month: Blueberries

The blueberry is a native American fruit. Early settlers cherished it as a staple ingredient in foods and medicines. They incorporated the berries into their diets, eating them fresh off the bush and adding them to soups, stews, and many other foods.

Blueberries are a good source of fiber and are the best of all fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant activity.

North America is the world's leading blueberry producer, accounting for nearly 90 percent of world production. In Oklahoma blueberries are grown in home gardens or on small farms as a U-Pick crop.

BE A FOOD EXPLORER

Eat blueberries on top of vanilla ice cream, mixed with plain yogurt and sliced bananas or try a handful on breakfast cereal or in salad.

Blueberries (Serving Size: 1/2 cup)

Percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Source: Centers for Disease Control

More Facts and Activities : Oklahoma's Berry Best

More Berry Facts

Oklahoma Vegetable of the Month: Lettuce

Lettuce, a member of the sunflower family, is one of the oldest known vegetables and is believed to be native to the Mediterranean area. In the US lettuce ranks second only to potatoes as the most popular vegetable. Average US consumption in the 1990s was 30 pounds of lettuce per person per year.

Lettuce cannot be harvested mechanically because no machine has been invented that can tell a good head of lettuce from a bad head of lettuce. Lettuce must be harvested by hand.

There are four main types of lettuce - head lettuce, romaine, loose leaf and butterhead. Head lettuce is better known as iceberg lettuce. Up until the 1920s it was known as "crisphead" but was renamed when California growers began shipping the lettuce under mounds of ice to keep the heads cool and crisp. Romaine lettuce was named by the Romans who believed it had healthful properties. In fact, the Emperor Ceasar Augustus put up a statue praising lettuce because he believed it cured him from an illness.

Iceberg lettuce doesn't offer much nutritionally, but romaine and loose leaf lettuce are nutrient rich. In fact, romaine and looseleaf provide five to six times the amount of vitamin A and five to ten times the vitamin A compared to iceberg. Romaine and butterhead also are good sources of folate, which helps prevent birth defects and may decrease risk of heart disease.

In Oklahoma, lettuce is grown early in the spring in home gardens. It is a cool weather crop and tends to bolt in our hot summers. Lettuce is a good vegetable to grow in classroom gardens because it is ready to eat 40-50 days after it is planted.

Good question: What happens when a vegetable bolts?

Answer: The word "bolts" sometimes means "runs fast." When a vegetable bolts, it starts to grow very quickly, growing flowers and then developing seeds. Usually it develops a bitter flavor at that point and is no longer good to eat.

BE A FOOD EXPLORER

Lettuce is best known for its use as a base for salad, but it can also be used as a wrap, in the same way a tortilla is used. Lettuce can also be added to soups.

Lettuce (Serving Size: 1 cup chopped, raw)

Percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Source: Centers for Disease Control

Other fresh veggies in season this month: asparagus, greens, lettuce, onions, radishes, spinach

More classroom recipes with vegetables

More on leafy greens: These Roots Run Deep

Browse all the lessons

May Books

Ada, Alma Flor, Zubizarreta, Rosa, and Simon Silva, Gathering the Sun: An Alphabet in Spanish and English, Lothrop, 1997.

An alphabet book with exceptional illustrations and excellent poetry that gives voice to the experience of Hispanic agricultural workers. Each letter is matched with a Spanish word (for example, "arboles" for "A") and accompanied by a poem in both Spanish and English that describes how the plant, fruit, vegetable, person, or feeling functions in the lives of these workers. The colors are brilliant, and the scope has a larger-than-life sense to it. This is a book that begs to be read aloud to all students, whether they are Spanish speaking or not. The sound of the poems will draw them in. The touching elegy for Cesar Chavez successfully imparts the impact of a heroic man on his people.

Aliki, Milk: From Cow to Carton, Econo-Clad, 1999.

Aliki takes readers on a guided tour that begins with grazing cows, proceeds through milking and a trip to the dairy, and ends with some different foods made from milk.

Bernier-Grand, and David Diaz, Cesar: Si, Se Puede! Yes, We Can!, Marshall Cavendish, 2005.

Poetry and illustrations highlight Cesar Chavez' struggle to empower migrant workers using peaceful protest.

Cole, Henry, Jack's Garden, Harper Trophy, 1997.

A cumulative story that traces a little boy's backyard flower garden from tilling the soil to enjoying the blossoms. The text catalogs the process in a take-off on "This Is the House That Jack Built." As the garden takes shape, readers see seedlings sprout and bud, flowers open, insects and birds visit and, at last, a lovely garden in full bloom. Each double-page spread is done in soft colored pencils on various colored background. The borders contain detailed labeled drawings of tools, insects, birds, eggs, and, of course, flowers. Instructions for starting a garden complete the presentation.

French, Vivian, Oliver's Milk Shake, Orchard, 2001.

Oliver is a picky eater, but his Aunt Jen is determined to change his ways. Oliver learns to like milk through a visit to the farm and Aunt Jen's yummy milk shakes.

Goble, Paul, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, Aladdin, 1993.

For most people, being swept away in a horse stampede during a raging thunderstorm would be a terrifying disaster. For the young Native American girl in Paul Gobl''s 1979 Caldecott-winning masterpiece, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, it is a blessing. Although she loves her people, this girl has a much deeper, almost sacred, connection to her equine friends. The storm gives her the opportunity to fulfill her dream -to live in a beautiful land among the wild horses she loves. With brilliant, stylized illustrations and simple text, Paul Goble tells the story of a young woman who follows her heart and the family that respects and accepts her uniqueness.

Granfield, Linda, Cowboy: An Album, Ticknor and Fields, 1994.

A tribute to cowboys, in myth and reality, including descriptions of their dress, lingo ("cowboyspeak"), work, and play as well as sketchy accounts of famous lawmen, outlaws, authors, artists, and movie stars, all illustrated with contemporary photos, advertisements, and other illustrations.

Hall, Donald, The Milkman's Boy, Walker, 1997.

Paul Graves is coming of age during a time when horses and carriages shared roads with Model Ts, and new technology changed old ways of doing things. His father calls the new invention of pasteurization nothing but a fad . . . until one day a fever strikes Paul's sister, and his family learns a hard lesson about the need to balance change and tradition.

Kindersley, Barnabas and Anabel, Celebrations, DK, 1996.

Great photos of children engaged in celebrations all around the world at all seasons, with descriptions of the holidays from the children themselves.

Krull, Kathleen, and Yuyu Morales, Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez, Harcourt, 2003.

The story of Cesar Chavez's 340-mile march to protest the working conditions of migrant farmworkers in California. Readers meet Chavez at his grandparents' home in Arizona where he lived happily amid a large extended family. His childhood was cut short when, due to financial difficulties, the family was forced to move to California to seek employment. After years of laboring in the fields, Chavez became increasingly disturbed by the inhuman living conditions imposed by the growers. The text is largely limited to one side of a spread; beautifully rendered earth-toned illustrations flow out from behind the words and onto the facing page.

Lauber, Patricia, The True or False Book of Horses, HarperCollins, 2000.

Discover what's fact and what's fiction about horses with this introduction to the history, anatomy, and behavior of an animal that changed human history.

Lowell, Susan, and Jim Harris, The Three Little Javelinas, Rising Moon, 1992.

In this retelling of The Three Little Pigs set in the American Southwest, the cherished porkers are transformed into javelinas, the hairy, swinelike creatures also known as peccaries. Their pursuer, no longer the wolf of traditional lore, becomes Coyote, that ubiquitous Southwestern trickster. Lowell spices the story with elements of Native American, Mexican and Old West culture.

O'Dell, Scott, Carlota, Houghton Mifflin, 1977.

Carlota thinks her role in life is to take the place of her dead brother to please her father. At 16 she races her stallion, dives for gold in shark-infested waters and fights in the Mexican-American War. But her most difficult feat is to defy her father and become her own person.

Older, Jules, and Lyn Severance, Cow, Charlesbridge, 1997.

Ever wondered why an ice-cream sundae isn't called an ice-cream Thursday? Having trouble telling a Jersey from a Holstein? Confused about the difference between a cow and a bull? COW has the answers and much, much more. With bright, humorous illustrations and funny but factual text, COW presents everything you want to know about these popular bovines.

Older, Jules, and Lyn Severance, Ice Cream: Including Great Moments in Ice Cream History, Charlesbridge, 1998.

The author chronicles the history of ice cream, introducing such famous figures as Marco Polo, who brought back "water ice" from China in the 13th century and Augustus Jackson, the White House chef and "probably America's first black ice cream manufacturer" who made the dessert for First Lady Dolly Madison. A timeline along the bottom of each page takes readers along the ice cream continuum. Severance, who designed the look of Ben and Jerry's carton art, brightens up the pages with bold graphics.

Paulsen, Gary, The Tortilla Factory, Harcourt, Brace, 1995.

Paulsen tells young readers how a corn seed eventually becomes a tortilla. "The black earth sleeps in winter . . .," but in the spring, it is worked by brown hands that plant the yellow seeds. Seeds become plants, and then the corn is ground into flour and sent to the tortilla factory. The flour disks come off the machine, are packaged, and eventually arrive in kitchens -" to be wrapped around juicy beans and eaten by white teeth, to fill a round stomach and give strength to the brown hands that work the black earth." This circular telling works nicely with the strong, attractive paintings that get texture from their linen surface.

Perez, L. King, and Robert Casilla, First Day in Grapes, Lee & Low, 2002 .

Growing up in a migrant family, Chico has experienced first school days in artichokes and first days in onions, and "now his first day in third grade would be in grapes." His encounters with bullies and the grumpy school bus driver shake Chico's confidence, but a friendly classmate and an understanding teacher help him adjust. Realistic watercolor, pastel, and colored-pencil illustrations portray Chico's emotions.

Pinkney, Andrea D., and Brian Pinkney, Bill Pickett, Rodeo-Ridin' Cowboy, Gulliver, 1996.

This storybook biography traces Pickett's early life and eventual rise to the upper ranks of professional rodeo fame and provides historical information about black cowboys.

Savage, Candace, Cowgirls, Tenspeed, 1996.

Savage provides a fine history of the cowgirl, exploring the lives of women in the American West and blending historical review with excerpts from journals and over 100 images from archives and private collections of cowgirls in action. Enjoy a pleasing blend of visual excitement and historical lore.

Stevens, Janet, Tops & Bottoms, Harcourt Brace, 1995.

Hoping to rise above his level of poverty, clever Hare strikes a deal with a rich and lazy bear in which Bear will contribute the land while Hare will provide the labor for a profitable harvest.

• Oklahoma Beef
• Oklahoma Dairy
• Ag in Art: Lascaux Cave Paintings
• May is National Hamburger Month
• Ag in Poetry: Poems About Cows
• Ice Cream in a Bag
• Mother Goose Day
• Say Cheese
• Soil and Water Stewardship Week
• Extreme History: Wild West Cattle Drive
• May Day
• Homestead Act
• Take It Outside: Outdoor Activities for End of Year Celebrations
• Red Dirt Groundbreaker: Lucille Mulhall - First Cowgirl
• Cinco de Mayo
• National Hoagie Day
• Dance Like a Chicken Day
• The first Kentucky Derby was May 17, 1875
• Oklahoma Fruit of the Month: Blueberries
• Oklahoma Vegetable of the Month: Lettuce
• Build a Salad Day
• National Asparagus Month
• Oklahoma Crop Calendar
• Writing Prompts
• May Books
• Ag in Art: "Stampede," Frederick Remington

• In 2007, Oklahoma had 1,300 dairy farms, with an average of 69,000 dairy cows. Milk production ranked number 6 in value among all Oklahoma commodities, with a value of $239 million. The largest populations of dairy cows in 2007 were in Grady, Tillman, Adair, Mayes and Delaware Counties.

• Oklahoma dairy cows produced 1.13 billion pounds of milk in 2007. The average Oklahoma milk cow produced 16,580 pounds of of milk in 2007.

More Dairy Facts

Dairy Lessons

Oklahoma 4-H Dairy Project Literature online

Ag in Poetry: Poems About Cows

The Cow

by Robert Louis Stevenson

The friendly cow all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple tart.
She wanders lowing here and there,
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day;
And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,
She walks among the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers.

More poems about cows, with activities

New: How to Read a Poem (activities and terminology)

Make Ice Cream in a Bag to celebrate the end-of-the school year.

Learning Activities for Ice Cream in a Bag

• Students determine from the recipe how much of each ingredient they will need for the class.
• Students count the correct number of spoons and cups for the class and divide the total into groups of four. How many groups of four are in our class?
• Students compare and contrast whipping cream with 2 percent milk. What makes them different?
• Students use the scientific method to set up simple investigations to determine what happens when they change variables in the ice cream recipe. (Vary the proportions of milk to cream; Vary amount of rock salt used, etc.)
• Students measure and compare the volume of the ice cream mixture before and after freezing.
• Students use a thermometer to measure the temperature of the ice cream mixture before and after freezing.
• Students describe the ice cream mixture before and after freezing.
• Provide sundae toppings. Students vote on which toppings they prefer. Graph the results.

P.A.S.S. for this activity

More Dairy Recipes

The Homestead Act was passed May 20, 1862.

Learn more about The Homestead Act with this online lesson: Busting the Prairie.

Mother Goose Day is May 1

Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating of curds and whey
There came a spider
And sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away

Read more Mother Goose rhymes and identify those with agriculture-related subjects or themes.

Make curds and whey (cottage cheese) in honor of Little Miss Muffet on Mother Goose Day (May 1).

Curds and Whey : Say Cheese

According to legend cheese was discovered several thousand years ago by an Arabian traveler who placed milk into a pouch made of a sheep’s stomach. During the day’s journey, the combined action of the sun’s heat and the enzymes in the lining of the stomach changed the milk into a snowy white curd of cheese and the thin liquid called whey.

More Dairy Lessons

Soil and Water Stewardship Week is April 26-May 3

Teach your students the importance of soil stewardship:

• Save Our Soil
• Where Has All the Farm Land Gone?

Oklahoma 4-H Environmental Sciences Project Literature

Take it Outside: Outdoor Activities for End-of-Year Celebrations

Stick Horse Rodeo

Territorial Games

More Games

Red Dirt Groundbreaker: Lucille Mulhall—The First Cowgirl

As a small child, Lucille Mulhall rode her pony over her father's large ranch in Oklahoma Territory. She learned to rope and tie a steer and to shoot a rifle. Her teachers were the men who rode herd in the cattle drives of the Old West.

By the time she was seven, Lucille had her own herd of cattle. Her father had promised she could have all the yearlings she could rope and brand herself. He soon had to get out of this bargain because Lucille had claimed too many calves. Lucille got her start in show business as the star of her father's "Congress of Rough Riders and Ropers" at the 1899 St. Louis World's Fair. The show also featured the young Will Roger.

After she threw and tied a steer at an El Paso roping, the rodeo crowd went wild and swarmed over her, trying to tear her clothes to see if she was really a girl. Her brother had to rescue her.

She was among the first women to compete in roping and riding events against men and earned such titles as "Champion Lady Steer Roper of the World" at the Winnipeg Stampede. She starred in Mulhall's Wild West, the Miller Brothers' 101 Ranch Wild West Show, and in vaudeville. In 1913 she formed her own troupe. In 1916 she produced her own rodeo, Lucille Mulhall's Roundup.

Lucille Mulhall's popularity was due to her skill, the result of perfect timing with her rope, unusual balance on her horse, and her small size and ladylike behavior. She was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1975 and National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in 1977.

Rodeo (poem by Edward Lueders)

More Red Dirt Groundbreakers

May 5 is Cinco de Mayo

• Cowboys in the American West learned to be cowboys from Mexican caballeros.

• Cattle branding originated with the Mexican custom of branding cattle herds with the owner's coat of arms. Learn more about cattle branding.

• Rodeo comes from the Spanish word "rodear." To the Spanish in New Spain (Mexico), a rodeo was a cattle roundup. Learn more about rodeo with Stick Horse Rodeo and Bill Pickett, Bull Doggin' Cowboy.

Make Tortillas in a Bag

Check out the new Ag in the Classroom lessons in Spanish

More lessons with Spanish translations

Coloring Book in Spanish

The first Kentucky Derby was May 17, 1875

For want of a Nail the Shoe was lost; for want of a Shoe the Horse was lost; and for want of a Horse the Rider was lost; being overtaken and slain by the Enemy, all for want of Care about a Horse-shoe Nail.

- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanack, June 1758

Just like human athletes, equestrian (horse) athletes must have the right kind of shoes in order to do their best. Learn more with No Foot, No Horse

More Horse Lessons

Horse Facts

Oklahoma 4-H Horse Project Literature

You know horses are smarter than people. You never heard of a horse going broke betting on people.

- Will Rogers

May 5 is National Hoagie Day

Learn the origin of the word "hobo" with Hoboes on Harvest

Celebrate National Salad Month with Build a Salad Day.

• Since earliest times people have harvested wild leafy plants, especially in spring, when they were young and tender. Some of the wild plants available to early foragers were wild celery, chervils, cresses, and parsley. Salads were among the first cultivated plants that people grew in their gardens.

• In pre-Roman times, People in England enjoyed beet greens. The Roman occupation brought lettuces, cucumbers, carrots, endive and sorrel. Medieval monks planted them among the herbs in their gardens, and Renaissance gardeners developed new varieties and produced them in greater quantities.

• The word “salad” comes from the Latin word “herba salta” or “salted herbs,” so called because such greens were usually seasoned with dressings containing lots of salt. Early American colonists called it “sallet.” They brought their favorite seeds to the New World, established kitchen gardens, and dined on their seasonal treasures. The first German-American herbal, printed in 1777, included 35 plants used as salads.

• During the late 19th Century, the concept of salads expanded. At first the most daring addition was the fresh tomato, long suspected by some Americans and Western Europeans as dangerous when eaten raw. Fruit salads followed , and by the end of the century, potato, egg, or chicken salads in fancy presentations flourished.

• The modern salad bar probably first emerged in the late 1960s.

• Bring assorted ingredients and let students build their own salads, as they like them. Bring unusual ingredients in many colors (See below.) to encourage students to try something different.

• Give prizes for Prettiest Salad, Most Unusual Salad and Most Nutritious Salad.

• Keep it neat by having students assemble their salads in zip lock bags and drizzle in dressing. Provide plastic forks and napkins.

Make a Flower Pot Salad Bar.

• Line large clay flower pots with clear plastic wrap, letting the dedges of the wrap hang over so they can be secured with tape.

• Fill the flower pots with fresh veggies (one kind of veggie for each pot), salad dressing, croutons, sunflower seeds, dips, chips and crackers.

Salad Bases - lettuces, spinach, red cabbage

Vegetables and Fruits - broccoli and cauliflower florets, green beans, grated carrots, peas, olives, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, artichoke hearts, slice mushrooms, bean sprouts, radishes, onion or scallion, red or green peppers, jalapenos, sliced avocado, sliced apples

Proteins - hard-boiled eggs, chickpeas, crumbled bacon, cubes of ham, luncheon meat strips, cubes of turkey or chicken, crab meat, tuna fish or shrimp, feta cheese, cubes of Swiss cheese, cottage cheese

Toppings - croutons, sesame seeds, Parmesan cheese, pecans, fresh herbs

Learning Activities:

• Discuss the benefits of including a variety of fruits and vegetables in the diet.

• Students sort vegetable ingredients by color; fruit. vegetable; protein, carbohydrate; plant part (leaf, root, stem or fruit); food group. Students think of other ways to sort vegetables.

• Students weigh their salads.

• Students compose their salads into still life art compositions. Photograph salads for web presentations.

Sounds too expensive? Apply for an OAITC/Oklahoma Pork Council grant

P.A.S.S. for this activity

Dance Like a Chicken Day is May 14.

Did you know "The Chicken Dance" was first introduced in the US at the Tulsa Oktoberfest in 1981? Did you know the Chicken Dance was originally the Duck Dance? Learn more about The Chicken Dance and chickens on the Chicken Facts Page.

The Chicken Dance

1. Everyone stand in a circle.
2. When the music starts, hold your hands out in front of you and open and close them like a chicken beak four times.
3. Put your thumbs in your armpits and flap your wings four times.
4. Place your arms and hands like the tail feathers of a chicken and wiggle down to the floor four times.
5. Clap four times.
6. Repeat steps 1-5 four times.
7. After the fourth time take the hands of the people on either side of you and everyone move in a circle.
8. When you get dizzy, switch directions.
9. Repeat until the end of the music or until you fall on the floor.

P.A.S.S. for this Activity

Asparagus grows well in Oklahoma gardens. In the spring, tiny asparagus tips poke their noses out of the ground and look around. If you don't pick them right away, they grow into big, lacy fern.

Oklahoma produce available in May from some farmer's markets:

asparagus, beets, blueberries, broccoli, cabbbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, fennel, garlic, greens, herbs, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, peas, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, strawberrries, summer squash, Swiss Chard, turnips.

Oklahoma Crop Calendar

• Corn planting in Oklahoma continues through May.
• Sorghum, soybeans, peanuts and cotton are planted in May.
• Alfalfa hay harvest continues through December.

Ag in Art

• Kindergarten - Visual Arts: 1.1a.Writing: 1.1,2,3
• Grade 1 - Visual Arts: 1.1,2,3.4; 2.1,3; 3.1,2. Writing: 2.1; 3.1e.
• Grade 2 - Visual Arts: 1.1,2,3,4; 2.1,3; 3.1,2. Writing; 2.2abc; 3.1g.
• Grade 3 - Visual Arts: 1.1,2,3,4; 2.1,3; 3.1,2. Writing: 2.3ab,7; 3.1i.
• Grade 4 - Visual Arts: 1.2,3; 2.1,2; 3.1,2,5. Writing: 2.2; 3.1h.
• Grade 5 - Visual Arts: 1.1,2; 2.1,2; 3.1,2. Writing: 2.1; 3.1f
• Grade 6 - Visual Arts: 1.1,2,3; 2.1,2,5; 3.1,2,5. Writing: 2.2; 3.1e
• Grade 7 - Visual Arts: 1.1,2,3,4; 2.1,2; 3.1,5. Writing: 2.8; 3.1h
• Grade 8 - Visual Arts: 1.1,2,3,4; 2.1,2; 3.1,5. Writing: 2.8; 3.1f

Build a Salad Day

• Grade 1 - Science Process: 2.1. Physical Science: 1.1,2. Visual Art: 3.2; Health: 3.1
• Grade 2 - Science Process: 2.1. Math Concept: 4.2b. Visual Art: 3.2. Health: 3.1
• Grade 3 - Science Process: 2.1. Life Science: 2.2,3. Visual Art: 3.2. Health: 3.1
• Grade 4 - Science Process: 2.1. Math Concept: 4.4b. Visual Art: 3.2. Health: 3.1
• Grade 5 - Science Process: 2.1. Math Concept: 4.4. Visual Art: 3.2. Health: 3.1

Chicken Dance

• Pre-Kindergarten - Physical Education: 1.2,3. Creative Skills: 1.1,5. Large Motor: 1.2,3
• Kindergarten - Physical Education: 1.2,3. Music: 3.3. Large Motor: 1.2,3
• Grade 1 - Physical Education: 1.2,3; Music: 3.3
• Grade 2 - Physical Education: 1.1; 2.4. Music: 3.3
• Grade 3 - Physical Education: 1.3. Music: 3.3
• Grade 4 - Physical Education: 1.1. Music: 3.3

Ice Cream in a Bag

• Pre-Kindergarten - Math: 2.2,4,5. Science Process: 1.1,3
• Kindergarten - Math: 2.2,4,5. Science Process: 1.1,3
• Grade 1 - Science Process: 1.1,2; 3.1,2,3. Physical Science: 1.1,2,3. Math Process: 1.1,2,3,5; 2.3; 5.1. Math Concept: 2.4; 5.1,2
• Grade 2 - Science Process: 1.1,2; 3.1,2,3. Math Process: 1.1,2,3,5; 2.3; 5.1. Math Concept: 2.3; 5.1
• Grade 3 - Science Process: 1.1,2; 3.1,2,3. Math Process: 1.1,2,3,5; 2.3; 5.1. Math Concept: 3.2b; 5.1ac
• Grade 4 - Science Process: 1.1,2; 3.1,2,3. Math Process: 1.1,2,3,5; 2.3; 5.1. Math Concept: 3.2b; 4.4b; 5.1b
• Grade 5 - Science Process: 1.1,2; 3.1,2,3 ; 5.1,2. Physical Science: 1.1,2. Math Process: 1.1,2,3,5; 2.3; 5.1. Math Concept: 4.5; 5.1ad
• Grade 6 - Science Process: 1.1,2; 3.1,2,3,4,5; 5.1,2,3,4. Physical Science: 1.1. Math Process: 1.1; 4.1; 5.1. Math Concept: 5.1
• Grade 7 - Science Process: 1.1,2; 3.1,2,3,4,5; 5.1,2,3,4. Physical Science: 1.1. Math Process: 1.1; 4.1; 5.1. Math Concept: 4.2a
• Grade 8 - Science Process: 1.1,2; 3.1,2,3,4,5; 5.1,2,3,4. Physical Science: 1.2

May Day

• Pre-Kindergarten - Small Motor: 2.1
• Kindergarten - Reading: 2.1; 4.1. Small Motor: 1.1. Visual Arts: 3.1c
• Grade 1 - Reading: 2.1; 4.3; 8.1,2. Writing: 2.4. Social Studies: 1.1; 3.5; 4.3. Visual Arts: 3.2
• Grade 2 - Reading: 1.1b; 3.1; 7.1,2. Writing: 2.5. Social Studies: 1.1; 3.4; 4.1.Visual Arts: 3.2
• Grade 3 - Reading: 6.1bde,2abc. Writing: 2.5. Social Studies: 1.1. Visual Arts: 3.2
• Grade 4 - Reading: 5.1abde,2ac. Writing: 2.2. Social Studies: 1.1
• Grade 6 - Social Studies: 1.3; 3.2

Writing Prompts

• Grade 1 - Writing: 2.1,2,4,5
• Grade 2 - Writing: 2.1,2abc,3,5
• Grade 3 - Writing: 2.1,2,3ab,4,5,6abc,7
• Grade 4 - Writing: 2.1abcd,2,3
• Grade 5 - Writing: 2.1,2,3,4
• Grade 6 - Writing: 2.7,8
• Grade 7 - Writing: 2.8,9
• Grade 8 - 2.8,9

What is an antioxidant?

Humans need oxygen to live. We breathe in oxygen as O2—two oxygen molecules atomically bonded together. The biological processes in the body use oxygen for reactions, frequently creating single, or free, oxygen particles as a byproduct. Free oxygen particles have a high electric charge which can damage cells if they are not eliminated quickly. Antioxidants (anti-oxygen compounds) look for free oxygen particles to neutralize.

What is a U Pick crop?

A U Pick crop is a farm operation in which customers are invited to go to the farm and pick their own fruits or vegetables.