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    Essential Reading

    Program Overview

    The broad strokes of the Edible Learning Lab Program.

    Teachers Primer

    A guide to help teachers visualize their edible education program.

    Farmers Primer

    Learn how to turn your farm into an edible classroom.

    Organizations Primer

    Discover how you can bring edible education into your community.

    Grants & Funding

    There are numerous grants and funding sources to get you started.

    Equipment Recommendations

    Buy the same equipment we use in our flagship Lab.

    Edible Education Consulting

    Not sure where to start? We can help guide you each step of the process.

    The Legal Stuff

    Privacy Policy

    Terms and Conditions

    Edible Learning Lab Teacher's Lounge

    We created a private Facebook Group for educators using our Edible Learning Lab Curriculum. Share stories, ask questions, get advice. It's the perfect place to collaborate.
  • Lessons

    Review the Quick Start Guide

    Take a few minutes to walk through this Quick Start Guide and get your bearings. Then jump in and explore the curriculum.

    Advanced Lesson Search

    Beginner Lessons

    The Beginner Lessons form the foundation with a sound overview of the core concepts of food production.

    Intermediate Lessons

    The Intermediate Lessons allow students to experiment and prove the core concepts.

    Advanced Lessons

    The Advanced Lessons give students an opportunity to apply what they've learned in the previous levels.

    Lessons By Station

    Seed Starting Curriculum

    Soil Management Curriculum

    Vermiculture Curriculum

    Hydroponics Curriculum

    Composting Curriculum

    Water Management Curriculum

    Seed Saving Curriculum

    Teaching Kitchen Curriculum

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  • Blog

    Our Core Values

    We believe that all Modern Steaders thrive on hard work, strive for self-reliance, constantly develop craft skills, have a thirst for knowledge, respect their connection to the land, use resources efficiently, and support their local community.

    Changing the Conversation

    What we at Modern Steader are working toward isn’t just food education, or a gardening program, or a nutrition program. This is about food awareness and an exploration of the process to cultivate, harvest, and transform real food as ingredients into a healthy diet and lifestyle.

    Our Top Posts

    What is a Food Desert?

    Gain insight into food deserts, the communities they impact, and how edible education may offer a solution.

    The Difference Between Rainwater and Tap Water

    Not all water is created equal especially when we're talking about the health and development of plants and people.

    Why Rain is Important

    Rain or the lack of an adequate supply can have profound effects on farming and the communities that rely on the harvest.

    Anatomy of a Seed

    It all begins with a seed and this article dives deep into the 5 primary parts of the seed that make it all possible.

The Many Faces of Seeds

The Many Faces of Seeds

Seed identification by sight
Lesson: 1.13
Level:
Advanced
Station: Seed Starting
Format: Class Project
Rating:
Advanced Lesson 1.13 Many Faces of Seeds

Lesson Overview

A seed catalog is a versatile reference in the Lab. Students will create one for the Seed Library with pictures and a description along with the information vital to successfully cultivating the variety from seed.

Teach the Teacher

  • Seed Structures
  • Seed Identification

Method

It is often difficult to identify a specific lettuce variety from a handful of mixed seed. But anyone can differentiate pumpkin seeds from lettuce seeds. With time and experience, gardeners learn to spot the subtle characteristics of specific varieties to help them identify the seeds purely by sight.

Have students create a visual library of all the seeds used in the Lab, complete with physical descriptions and photo. Have them create classification standards based on the physical attributes of the seeds. Cross reference this information with the data from the seed packets.

Related Lessons

Now that you’ve completed the Advanced Lesson, just remember that you can always revisit the Beginner and Intermeidate Lessons as needed.

This lesson, and all other lessons on this website, are intended for use by teachers in the classroom. These lessons are protected by US and International copyright laws. Reproduction or distribution of lesson content, supporting materials, or digital creative is prohibited with written permission from Modern Steader LLC.

« Planning for Planting » Plant Daycare

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Our Lessons are organized into three levels. With our Detailed Search, you can drill down to the Lessons you need most.

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Contact us

HQ: 307-278-9793

Modern Steader is dedicated to bringing edible education to all students K-12. How can we help you bring edible education into your classroom?

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  • Share Your Story

Tim Miner, Co-Founder

Tim is Modern Steader's Lab Strategist, working tirelessly to bring future Edible Learning Labs to life. Under his direct leadership, the flagship Lab in Buffalo, WY has given more than 400 students the opportunity to explore the soil to table process.

At home, he is a passionate locavore, and doting husband and father, living in the Bighorns of northern Wyoming.

Read about Tim's journey >>>

Dave Creech, Co-Founder

Dave is a husband, foodie and entrepreneur striving to live healthier and happier through better food and outdoor living. He started his urban garden in early 2013 in an effort to grow as much of his own food as possible. Dave is continually learning to live more simply, waste less, be more efficient and generally build a better skill set.

Read about Dave's journey >>>

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