Celebrate George Washington’s Birthday with Cherry Pie in a Bag!

Celebrate President’s Day in your classroom with this fun Cherry Pie in a Bag activity! Link it to a George Washington history lesson (there’s one included in the post) and tie it to agriculture (did you know George Washington was an innovative farmer for his time?), wrapping it all up with a yummy, easy-to-make snack.

One of my favorite things to do is present about agriculture (is this a surprise to anyone?), especially with kids. I’ve done numerous Agriculture in the Classroom activities in several elementary schools, and also had the opportunity to fill in as my county’s Ag in the Classroom coordinator for a few months to build my arsenal of Ag in the Classroom activities.

In preparation for my new (temporary) role, I went with our coordinator to one of her regular classrooms to meet the students and gather ideas for next month’s activity. Ag in the Classroom strives to incorporate agriculture into everyday classroom topics, such as this week’s George Washington lesson.

Students were quizzed on what they knew about our nation’s first president, talked about myths, watched a short video, and talked more about who George Washington was- did you know he was a farmer and liked to experiment with fertilizers?

You can find the George Washington PowerPoint here.

And what’s an agriculture activity without a takeaway? Here’s a KWL worksheet for students to fill out before, during, and after lesson on what they knew about George Washington, what they would like to know, and what they learned.

Now for the best part of the lesson- cherry pie! Students love snacks, but how do you make cherry pie in a classroom without making a mess? Cherry pie in a bag is the way to go, and you can find the recipe here. It’s a great lesson on measuring, too.

Agriculture in the Classroom has many great resources for teachers and parents. You can check out their website for more lessons and activities (found under “Teacher Resources”). All the lessons target different subject areas, this one covers Social Studies and Math in particular.

Have any questions about this lesson plan or want more? Feel free to comment below!

Lesson plan credit: Terra Bertolini, Community Worker, Ag in the Classroom; Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom