Plants at Different Seasons
You will need:	4 pieces of string each about 3 feet long Paper Pencil Clear tape

1.  Locate an area outside near the edge of your schoolyard.
2.  Place the string around an area to form a square.
3.  Count the number of different plants in the square.
4.  Take one leaf from each plant and tape them on paper.  Be sure to label the time of year that you gathered these leaves.
5.  Return to the same area at different times during the year and repeat steps 3 and 4.
6.  You may wish to graph the results.

Questions for thought:
Do all plants grow at the same time?
How many different plants were there in the Spring that weren't there in the Fall?
Does temperature have any affect on plants?

 

Recycle a Potato
You will need:	Flower pot filled with potting soil or garden soil Raw potato eyes with a bit a potato still left around them

1.  Pat the soil down in the pot and water it well.
2.  Press the potato eyes into the soil.  Make sure to leave enough space around them (1 1/2 inches).
3.  Cover lightly with soil.
4.  Put the pot in a light place but not direct sunlight.  Keep soil moist but not wet.

Questions for thought:
Do seeds always have to be inside of a fruit or root?
What do seeds need to sprout?
What kinds of seeds do we eat?
How do seeds travel?

 

What's Inside a Fruit?
You will need:	5 or 6 different fruits (apples, oranges, cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, bean pods, squash) Knife for adult use Tray (use a recycled meat tray) Paper Towels Magnifying Glass

1.  Spread the paper towels on a tray to make an area to work on.
2.  Take a close look at the fruits.  Have students locate the end of the fruit that was connected to the plant.
3.  Cut open the fruit and try  to locate where the ovary and ovules were in the flower.
4.  Look at the way the seeds are arranged - can you count them all?
5.  Remove the seeds carefully and rinse with water - allow seeds to dry on a paper towel.  You may even wish to try planting the seeds using egg cartons as a planter.

Questions for thought:
Why do some fruits have so many seeds and others have so few?
Do we eat seeds?
Why is a cucumber and squash referred to as a "fruit"?

 

Berry Ink
You will need:	Ripe blueberries, strawberries, cherries, or blackberries Paper cups Baby food jars or plastic yogurt containers Spoon Paper Towels

1.  Take the stems and leaves off the berries and place them in paper cups (one variety per cup)
2.  Press the berries with the back of the spoon until they are mushy.
3.  Add a little water to the berries.
4.  Stir the berries and water with the spoon until they are well mixed.
5.  Lay a square of paper towel over the small jar and push the towel into the jar.
6.  Pour the berry mixture through the paper towel into the jar.
7.  When all the liquid has drained through the paper towel - throw the paper towel away.  The liquid remaining is your berry ink.  Put the lid on it until you are ready to use it.

Questions for thought:
1.  Which berry makes the best ink?
2.  Is the color of the ink what you expected it to be?
3.  Who may have used berry ink in the past?  Why?

 

What Happens when you Plant a Seed?
You will need:	A few beans seeds  (dried beans from the grocery store are fine) Paper Pencil Jar Water

1.  Place a seed on a sheet of paper - tace around the seed with a pencil.
2.  Place a few seeds in a jar of water.
3.  Wait one day.
4.  Remove a seed from the water and trace around it.
5.  Compare the size of the seed before and after soaking.

Questions for thought:
What is the first thing that a seed does when planted?
What does the water cause the seed to do?
What happens if a seed is kept TOO wet for TOO long?