Plants/Photosynthesis

Even though the kids had both done plant units in school this spring, they were still both very interested in it.  So...we made it our choice for the week.

What They Knew:

Seth:  "they grow by seeds, they need water, they need sunshine, they need air, they are alive, some plants eat bugs, some are big and some are small"

Hannah:  "they need to breathe, they are big and small, they need certain things to make them green, they need warmth, sunlight, and water.  they need time to germinate, they need soil, the leaves make the food, if they don't get pollinated, they can't make seeds"

As you can see, they already had a pretty good grasp on the concept.  So I had to push it a little further.  Thankfully, I had prepared more than I thought I would teach.  So we ended up skipping most of the basics and focusing on photosynthesis.  They filled out a worksheet labeling the parts of a plant.  We read the book "The Life Cycle of a Carrot".  We talked about seed dispersal and looked at different ways seeds can be spread.  We learned about various unique plants from around the world.  We discussed vocabulary words, including:  root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit, seeds, chlorophyll, photosynthesis, sugar, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.  We learned the basic process of photosynthesis and the function of chlorophyll.  Plants use water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to make their own food.  As the food is absorbed, the plants leaves release oxygen into the air.  (thank you, plants, for making our air so much better to breathe!)  To see this process in action, we put lettuce leaves in water and placed them in the sunshine.  About an hour later, we observed little bubbles of air on the surface of the leaves and into the water.


































The picture doesn't show it very well.  You can see the tiny bubbles on the side of the container better than you can see the big bubbles right on the surface of the leaf.  Bummer.  BUT, the kids could see it perfectly in person. 

What They Learned: 

Seth:  "we don't eat the top part of a carrot, we eat the root.  Some plants wrap around other plants and eat their food.  birds and bees transfer pollen.  plants make air."

Hannah:  "There is a flower that is 3 ft wide, the redwood trees can be taller than the statue of liberty, people can spread pollen on purpose to make their crops grow more seeds, fruits have 2 jobs 1.  to be delicious, and 2. to protect the seed.  Chlorophyll is the stuff that makes it green.  Plants make oxygen for us to breathe."

Next week:  Sharks (it was Seth's choice)