A basic activity to teach students about cotton farming is to grow cotton in the classroom. You will need potting soil, containers (milk, juice or margarine containers work well), cotton seeds and water. Fill containers with soil, leaving approximately 1 inch at the top. Place three or four seeds on top of the soil, and sprinkle with soil. Place containers in direct light, such as by the windows. Keep soil moist but not wet. Check moisture daily, watering lightly as necessary. Seedlings will emerge within seven to 10 days. Encourage students to keep journals to record the daily transformations of the plant.
Another fun classroom activity about cotton farming is a craft in which students create a miniature model of a cotton plant. Cotton grows from leaves that sprout stems and cotton bolls at the end of stems. To create a miniature cotton plant, students can use cotton balls, glue, small twigs and green leaves from a fake plant. Cut a few leaves from the plant, and glue them to the bottom of the twig. Glue cotton balls to the end of the twigs.
Divide students into groups to research and prepare a presentation on cotton farming in a particular area of the world. Cotton is a native shrub, which grows in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. It grows in the Americas, Africa, India and Pakistan. Ask students to work together in groups to research cotton farming in a particular region. Students should learn about the history of cotton farming in that region, including earliest instances of cotton cultivation, as well as the cultural, economic and political impacts of cotton in the region. Student groups should then present their findings to the classroom, so that students can learn about cotton farming all over the world.
Cotton farming is a long process, and yet it is just the beginning of the process by which cotton is used to make textiles and other fabrics. Assign students to learn about a particular stage or phase of farming or production. Students should create a collage of images related to their stage and caption these images with facts and information about that stage. Begin with the planting of seeds and how cotton plants are treated and tended. Include a phase about how cotton is picked and what equipment is used to pick cotton. Then, include phases related to the ginning, spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing and finishing of cotton.