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| "Come take a look at what we've been doing in Ms. Byerly's Plant Unit!" |
| Springtime is a great time to plant a garden with your students or just to plant a few seeds indoors. I have a large window in my classroom which lets in plenty of sun and light. Recently each student planted their own bean seed and they are growing in our room. Each day the children love to look to see if their plant has grown taller. Instead of individual plants, your class can plant a "garden" in a large, plastic dishpan. Let all the children participate in the planting and care of the garden. Before filling the pan with soil, spread small rocks or charcoal in the bottom of the pan for drainage.One year we planted a garden outside behind our classroom. We grew watermelons, pumpkins, and sunflowers. I purchased a few garden tools and the children helped me weed and water the garden. On another occassion we planted Vinca's in a small garden around the flagpole in front of the school. Below I have listed just a few ideas for you to use if you decide to teach a unit on plants. Discuss the fact that plants need water, sun, soil, and air in order to survive and grow. Make a story booklet about what plants need. Discuss how seeds travel. Label the parts of a plant.. (roots, seeds, flower, leaves). Muffin Cup Sunflower Open and press flat a paper muffin cup. Glue it to the upper half of a 12"x18" piece of construction paper. Draw a stem and leaves with crayon. Glue a sunflower seed to the bottom of the stem. Then glue two or three pieces of yarn extending from the seed to represent roots. Glue several sunflower seeds to the center of the flower. When these are dry, have students label the roots, seeds, leaves and flower. Let each student plant a bean or other type seed. Seed Search Provide students with three or four slices of different fruits or vegetables on a paper plate. (green pepper, cucumber, apples, oranges, pears, whole grapes, pea pods or cherry tomatoes) Ask the children to find all the seeds they can. Have them save the seeds they find on another plate. Discard the fruit and vegetable slices. Let students observe the seeds through a magnifying glass. Discuss and compare their different sizes, shapes, and colors. Have the children sort their seeds. You may wish to record their discoveries on chart paper. Write a story about your class garden. Growing Seeds Place a folded paper towel into a sandwich bag. It must fill the bag from top to bottom. Pour a fourth of a cup of water into the bag. Place four staples in a row one inch from the top of the bag. The staples will go through the entire thickness of the bag, front to back. Place four beans inside the bag above the staple line. They will be in contact with the paper towel. Leave the bag open to the air. Tape the bag in a sunny window. The beans should begin to sprout within a week. Students will discover the root system and will be able to see the plant rising out of the bag. Fingerprint Spring Flowers Have child paint a stem on white or light colored construction paper. Then using his/her fingers, create hyacinths (or other spring flowers) by dipping fingers in paint, and pressing on either side of the stem, starting with a wide base of prints at the bottom, and working toward the top with just one or two. It is better to start with larger fingers first, graduating to pinky prints at the top. |
| Books to Read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Elert How a Seed Grows by Helene Jordan Sunflower House by Eva Bunting The Seed Song by Judy Saksie It's Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall The Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth King |
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