August 3–9, 2025 is National Farmers’ Market Week—a wonderful chance to help kids explore where their food comes from and to support local growers. Whether you’re teaching at home, planning a summer camp activity, or adding agriculture to your classroom, farmers’ markets offer endless opportunities to connect science, economics, nutrition and culture.
We’re here to make agricultural education easy, interactive and enjoyable. Below are fun, hands‑on ways to explore farmers’ markets this week, with ready‑to‑use printables and flashcards from our shop to support your lessons.
1. Discover Seasonal Produce
Understanding what grows when is a great introduction to food systems. Seasonal fruits and vegetables vary by region, helping children see how climate, seasons and geography influence what farmers bring to market.
🧠 Try This Activity: Gather photos of different fruits and vegetables (or visit your local market) and have kids sort them by color, edible plant part or growing seasons. At the market, encourage them to ask vendors how different items were grown and how long it took to grow and harvest.
🔍 Helpful Resource: Our Garden Variety Vegetable & Herb Flashcards feature clear photos on the front and detailed information on the back. Each card lists the plant’s common and scientific names, origin, season classification, days to harvest and companion planting tips. Kids can use the cards to identify produce at the market and learn about 37 vegetables and herbs
2. Learn Plant Anatomy & Garden Science
Farmers’ markets are packed with plant science lessons! Understanding how plants grow—roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit—helps children appreciate the journey from seed to table.
🧠 Try This Activity: Use a simple plant diagram to label the parts of a vegetable plant. Challenge kids to find examples of each part at the market (e.g., carrots for roots, lettuce for leaves, tomatoes for fruit). How are all of these different plants related?
🔍 Helpful Resource: Our Plant Science: Garden Variety Taxonomy printable (a 56‑page guide) dives into plant classification and life cycles. It includes plant family cards, taxonomy cards and a hierarchy chart—perfect for helping kids understand how vegetables and herbs are organized.
3. Practice Budgeting and Math Skills
A visit to the market is a real‑world math lesson. Kids can learn about weights, prices and making change while experiencing the value of locally grown food.
🧠 Try This Activity: Give your child a small budget and let them decide which fruits or vegetables to buy. They can practice adding up prices, comparing costs between vendors and calculating how much change they’ll receive. Afterwards, have them graph their purchases by category or cost. Compare these costs to purchases made at the grocery store.
🔍 Helpful Resource: Our Exploring Agriculture: Farm to Table printable walks kids through how plants and animals become food—from planting and harvesting to processing and distribution. This 32‑page lesson guide connects budgeting and math to real‑world food choices by showing the journey from farm field to dinner plate. Compare locally grown to regionally grown charts.
4. Explore Sustainability and Food Systems
Farmers’ markets highlight the importance of buying local. Kids can learn about food miles, composting and how seasonal eating reduces our environmental footprint.
🧠 Try This Activity: Create a simple map showing where the produce at your market comes from. Discuss how buying from nearby farms saves fuel and keeps dollars in the local community. Start a compost bin at home with fruit and vegetable scraps and track how it turns into soil.
🔍 Helpful Resource: The Carbon Cycle Unit Study is a hands‑on printable pack that helps students role‑play as carbon atoms to learn how carbon moves through the atmosphere, biosphere, oceans and geosphere. It covers the greenhouse effect, climate change and how the carbon cycle relates to agriculture—an excellent way to discuss sustainability after a market visit.
5. Connect Food to Culture & Cuisine
Sampling new foods is both fun and educational. Farmers’ markets often feature prepared foods or ingredients from diverse cultural traditions.
🧠 Try This Activity: Choose a new fruit, vegetable or prepared dish from the market and research a recipe or tradition associated with it. Cook together at home and discuss the cultural significance of the food.
🔍 Helpful Resource: Download the Berry Patch Activity Pack and Guide to extend your adventure. This 35‑page printable includes berry trivia, lifecycle diagrams, scavenger hunts and taste‑test guides, offering kids a deeper look at strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and more.
Wrap‑Up
National Farmers’ Market Week is a fantastic opportunity to combine science, math, nutrition and culture into one engaging topic. By exploring how plants grow, how food is priced and how markets connect us to local farmers, kids gain a deeper appreciation for where their food comes from.
👉 Looking for more ways to explore produce and horticulture? Our horticulture collection features seasonal unit studies like the Apple Unit Study—a 14‑page printable that teaches apple lifecycles, anatomy and nutrition with worksheets and taste‑test labs—and the Pumpkin Patch Family Activity Pack, a 26‑page guide packed with pumpkin trivia, plant parts and scavenger hunts. For berry lovers, the Plant Science: Berry Good printable offers a 67‑page deep dive into berry history, taxonomy and even biotechnology.
We also offer entomology and plant pathology flashcards for budding scientists. Visit our shop to discover the full range of printables and flashcards designed for kids ages 7–18.
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