Educational Programs It’s A Maize-ing!

Designed for third-grade students, this 90-minute interactive program teaches students about how the hog industry dominated the local economy in Madison’s early days. Students also will learn about the history of corn and why it’s an important part of Indiana’s economy even today.

The program is based on the book, “Lucky Year,” a book about local history written by Dorothy Aldis that includes a teacher’s guide created by education director JoAnne Spiller, which is available as a downloadable PDF. The book also is available for sale in the History & Art Center gift shop.

Activities include a chocolate-pudding experiment, which touches on the multiple uses of corn starch and the stories behind the “dueling” starch factories that once flourished in Madison.

Offered free of charge, this program is the perfect lead-in for Agricultural Day in the fall.