Discover the story of the Farmerettes
During World War II, thousands of Canadian high school girls known as the Farmerettes worked on farms to keep food growing for soldiers overseas and for communities at home. Their contribution to the war effort was vital — yet often overlooked.
Explore food insecurity, innovation, and women’s role in agriculture — past and present — with engaging videos and free classroom resources. A meaningful lead-in to Remembrance Day.
Explore topics like:
- The Farmerettes and their role in Canada’s wartime history
- Food insecurity and farming today
- STEM in agriculture
- Women in agriculture
A rich way to connect history, STEM, and social studies to real-world issues.
FREE ready-to-use resources for your students
Alongside the videos, access free teaching materials — including discussion guides, literacy activities, and curriculum-linked resources. These tools help students reflect on the Farmerettes’ vital contribution to Canada’s war effort and build meaningful connections to Remembrance Day.
NEW student videos
Explore the Farmerettes and more with a series of four short, student friendly videos. Perfect for sparking classroom discussion and connecting history to today’s issues.
Introduction to the Farmerettes
Meet the teenage girls who left home during WWII to work on farms, showing how teamwork and dedication can change history.
STEM in agriculture
See how the Farmerettes’ determination paved the way for today’s tech-driven farming innovations that feed the world and protect the environment.
Food insecurity & farming today
From wartime rationing to today’s global food supply, discover how the Farmerettes’ hard work connects to the role modern farmers play in feeding billions.
Women in agriculture
Learn how 40,000 Farmerettes broke gender barriers during WWII, helping shape the path for women farmers today.
These videos are short depictions of what you’ll find in the full documentary. To explore the complete story, visit welendahand.ca or email info@welendahand.ca. Produced by Albireo Films.
We also have FREE resources for your classroom
Discussion guide
There is a lot to talk about! This discussion guide offers several points of entry into your exploration of this little-known story from Canadian history with opportunity for cross-curricular teaching.
Download Guide
STEM challenge
Farm life presents many problems. This unique activity gives students the opportunity to find solutions to issues on the farm that farmerettes may have faced. Designed by an Ontario teacher.
Download STEM Challenge
Literacy activity pack
Expand students’ understanding of Farmerettes and agriculture while they practice reading and understanding information text.
- Essay: Teen Heroes Who Fed Canada
- Comprehension and Inference
- Making Connections
- Building Vocabulary
- Mapping Farmerette Farms
Postage stamp art project
Students design their own Farmerette stamps while learning about Canada Post. Includes instructions, template, and Google Slide presentation.
View guide
Printable bookmarks
Encourage literacy with these customizable bookmarks. Printable template.
Download template
Cursive writing example
These Farmerettes letters offer first-hand accounts of the farm experience and an interesting example for students learning cursive.
View guide
Teacher-created Google Slide deck
This Google Slide was created using our literacy activity pack for an easy-to-use online version of our activities.
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