Are You a Plant?

Ages 3 and up (one 30-45 minute session)

Objectives:

To learn about plant structures, and environments.
To use plant material to encourage creativity and imagination.

Materials:

Demonstration plants and, if available, a Venus fly-trap, pitcher plant, or mimosa (“sensitive”) plant
Magnifying lens
Art materials: sky-blue background paper, construction paper of different colors, cloth, dried leaves, fruits or flowers, pieces of bark, yarn, scissors, glue, and double-sided sticky tape

Set up:

Hang up the blue background. Set out the plants. Gather and arrange the art supplies.

Part One:

Start by asking children whether they are plants. Talk about what makes plants different from people. Talk about whether plants are alive, how they grow, what they need to live, etc. Call the children’s attention to the potted plants. Talk about the various parts and their functions. Let them pull the plants out of their pots to see the roots. Have them look closely at the roots with the magnifying lens. Talk about the Venus fly-trap or pitcher plant and talk about their biology – these plants have organs like a mouth, but the plant absorbs nutrients from the insects just like the roots absorb nutrients from the soil. Dramatic play could be incorporated here. Act out the life cycle of a plant – individually or as a group, where each child has a role such as dirt, seed, sun…

Part Two:

Turn the children’s attention to the art supplies and get creative.

Have the children make and hang up a sun and white clouds. Have them create their own flowering plants from the varied materials. Write their names on their creations and hang them up on the background. Add raindrops and insects to show other things that affect plant growth. Use this setup to talk about various life cycles. Link the children’s ideas and creations to the class garden, or plants in and around the class. If you have already planted small plants in the garden, talk about how the plants will change over the coming weeks. Talk about photosynthesis.

Questions to ask:

What does it mean to eat? Do plants eat? Do they have a mouth? (Plants need air, water and nutrients. They combine these materials, using energy from the sun, to make their own food. All species of animals, including humans, get the energy they need to grow and live, directly or indirectly from plants).
What is photosynthesis?
Do plants move? Most plants move slowly (e.g. to orient their leaves towards the light as the sun moves during the day). Venus fly-traps can close-up quickly, and the Mimosa will fold its leaves. They’re handy to have if you want to challenge the assumption that “plants don’t move”.

Glossary:

Life cycle: Stages of development in a life forms life. (example: seed germination to the production of seeds by a plant).

Photosynthesis: Process used by plants, where light energy is trapped and used to produce molecules that are used to build and sustain their life. Oxygen is the by product of photosynthesis.