Farm-Fresh Science
What do kids say after attending Veggie U? “More veggies,
please!” The science program is popping up in fourth-grade
classrooms across the nation. For five weeks, students learn
about vegetables and nutrition. They also grow and eat their own
veggies, such as squash and lettuce.
“Once the kids plant the seeds and watch them grow, they
start to look at veggies differently,” says Barbara Jones. She is the
director of Veggie U.
Barbara and her husband, Bob, started Veggie U. They want
to encourage kids to eat healthfully. The Jones’ farm in Milan,
Ohio, gives teachers the tools to get growing. The kit comes with
seeds, soil, grow lights, and earthworms. The Jones also send
fresh vegetables, including blue potatoes and purple carrots. “A
lot of students think vegetables aren’t cool,” says Sam Browning,
a teacher in Sandusky, Ohio. “But they’re excited to try the ones
from the Jones’ farm.”
Courtney Russell is one of Browning’s students. She admits the
blue potato made her a little nervous. But Veggie U has helped
her to eat better. “Now when I have a snack, I’d rather have
veggies,” she says.
Name ____________________________________________________
Farm-Fresh Science (cont.)
Directions: Answer these questions. You may look at the article.
1. What do you think the “U” in Veggie U is supposed to stand for?
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2. What does the program teach kids?
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3. Name three things that kids in the program get to do.
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4. Who started the program?
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5. Why do you think the Jones’ care enough to start a program like this?
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6. How are the vegetables they send different from regular vegetables? Why do you think
they send these unusual-looking vegetables?
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7. Would you try a fruit or vegetable that was not its “normal” color? Why or why not?
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Name ____________________________________________________
Farm-Fresh Science (cont.)
Directions: Look at the chart. Answer the questions.
What Part of the Plant Are We Eating, Anyway?
FRUITS LEAVES ROOTS SEED PODS
apples lemons basil beets chili peppers
apricots mangos brussels sprouts carrots green beans
avocados oranges beet greens onions okra
bananas papayas cabbage parsnips snap pea pods
blueberries peaches chard radishes wax beans
cantaloupe pears cilantro rutabagas
cherries pineapple endive sweet potatoes
cranberries plums kale turnips
cucumbers raspberries lettuce SEEDS STEMS
eggplant strawberries spinach black beans asparagus
grapes squash turnip greens corn celery
kiwifruit tomatoes FLOWERS lima beans leeks
TUBERS artichokes kidney beans green onions
potatoes broccoli peas rhubarb
yams cauliflower sunflower seeds
1. Into how many categories can vegetables be split?
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2. Which vegetables are really flowers?
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3. Make a list of your top 10 favorites from this list.
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Directions: Read the article.
Back in Orbit
Rockets roared as the space shuttle Atlantis lifted into the sky
on September 9, 2006. Atlantis was headed for the International
Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a giant space lab in the sky.
Scientists from many countries work there.
The station was built in 1998. It is 220 miles above Earth. Its first
permanent crew arrived in 2000. Since then, there have always
been at least two astronauts on board.
Atlantis’s mission was to build the first major addition to the
ISS since late 2002. Work to build the station stopped in February
2003 so that scientists could find ways to make shuttle trips safer.
Now, it is back to business on the ISS. All six members of the
Atlantis crew trained for four and a half years for this difficult
mission. Atlantis astronauts took three space walks. Each walk
lasted more than six hours. The team added giant solar panels
to the ISS. The panels use the sun’s energy to make power for
the station. NASA is planning 14 shuttle flights to finish work on
the ISS. When it is done, the space lab will be bigger than a fivebedroom
house.
NASA plans to retire the shuttles in 2010. New spacecrafts are
in the works. They may one day take United States astronauts to
the moon, Mars, and maybe even beyond.
Name ____________________________________________________
Back in Orbit (cont.)
Directions: Answer these questions. You may look at the article.
1. What does ISS stand for?
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2. What is the fewest number of astronauts ever on board the ISS?
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3. What was Atlantis’s mission?
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4. How many members are there on this shuttle crew?
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5. What did the astronauts do while they were at the ISS?
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6. What is NASA planning for the future of its shuttle program?
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7. What do you imagine it must be like to visit the ISS? Write what you think a trip there
would be like. Use lots of details.
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Name ____________________________________________________
Back in Orbit (cont.)
Directions: Read the list. Answer the questions.
Some Surprising Facts About the International Space Station
• The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest manned object ever sent into space—
about the size of two Boeing 747s.
• Putting the ISS together will require 45 launches—36 from the United States and nine
from Russia—and 1,705 hours of space walks.
• The ISS will be visible to more than 90 percent of the world’s population.
• The Space Station circles the Earth every 90 minutes.
• The ISS astronauts exercise at least two hours every day because the human body tends
to lose muscle and bone mass rapidly in space.
• About 100,000 people from 16 nations have worked on the ISS.
• The Space Station is the most expensive single object ever built.
1. Why do you think so much of the world’s population is able to see the International Space
Station?
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2. What was the most surprising fact to you? Why did you think that was so surprising?
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3. List three other things you would want to find out about the ISS. Where would you look
for this information?
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