We had a great discussion this week in class - it feels like we’re getting the hang of modifying this project for interacting over Zoom (though that’s not to say I don’t wish every minute the kids could be interacting with all the tools we have at school, fresh ingredients, and cooking and eating at the table together)! Studying corn and its importance to Mesoamerican culture, how Europeans brought it back home without the process of nixtamalization and got sick as a result, and how byproducts from this one plant are now everywhere in modern life is a ripe topic that could easily be the focus of every one of our lessons over the course of an entire school year.
In 45 minutes, the third graders learned about the Mexican War of Independence, ate locally made tortilla chips with salsa together, and brainstormed all the foods we could think of that contain corn. Many didn’t realize that foods like a Snickers bar or a can of Coke also contain corn, and we talked briefly about how to eat corn with intention. The more closely corn as an ingredient in a certain food resembles the actual corn plant, the better it is for our health.
For a succinct and highly provocative overview of the period under discussion, check out these two videos from Eater that the third graders watched this week: Why Corn is the Most Sacred Crop and The Dark and Terrible History of Corn. (Spoiler alert: beware of vampires!)
