How Does Rice Grow?

Grains of rice are actually the seeds of the rice plant. Rice is really a kind of grass. It usually grows in water, so planting and raising it is very hard work for farmers. Rice is recognized as one of the world's great food staples. It is not only eaten by itself as a cooked dish, of course, but it is the base of many other foods, condiments and even of some of the world's most popular beverages: beer and sake. It is used to make foodstuffs, crackers, vinegar, vegetable oil and other familiar items. Wet-rice farming is one of the oldest forms of agriculture known and is the foundation of many great civilizations. Children should be interested in learning the whole cycle that brings rice to their tables: planting it into seed beds, transplanting it to the fields, then irrigation, harvesting, threshing, drying and polishing. Every one of these jobs is still done by hand in many places.