Greetings,

In this issue we will focus on plants, how they grow, their parts and what students can learn by planting some of their own, either in the classroom, in a school garden or even at home. This process can be truly transformative. A tiny seed which may look like a spec of dirt or a pebble can transform into something that has the potential to nourish us. By observing and participating in growing something students can gain enriching experiences that teach responsibility, patience, resilience and more. Life skills that will come in handy for years to come can be nurtured along with the plants.

One of the best things about growing plants at school is that you have your own, ever changing materials to experiment with. Watching plants develop can provide lessons on life cycles, plant parts, pollination, reproduction, nutrition, you name it. As with most aspects of agriculture, it can be incorporated into any discipline.

Our diet is made up of many types of plants as well as various parts of the plant. Plants have six distinctive parts that all serve unique functions - roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds. We eat roots when we munch on a carrot or bite a beet. Celery, asparagus and rhubarb are stems we consume. Edible leaves include lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard and kale. Broccoli and cauliflower are the buds of flowers but violets and nasturtiums are also tasty flowers. It's easy to think about fruits such as apples and oranges, but all plant parts that contain seeds are considered a fruit including tomatoes, squash, and string beans. However when we eat dried beans, corn, grains, and peas we are eating the seeds of the plant. Gather photographs (seed packets and catalogs are good sources, as well as the internet) of different plants that we eat and have the children classify which part of the plant we are actually eating.

As you grow some plants in your classroom, plant plenty of extras so you can sacrifice a few along the way for examination. To watch root development, place bean seeds inside a zip-close baggie with a damp cotton ball. It can be taped to the classroom window for easy viewing, just make sure it doesn't get too cold or too hot. It will grow within the range of 60-90 degrees.  Make sure the cotton ball stays damp. In the course of a few days the bean will begin to sprout and the parts of the root will be visible. Look at diagrams of seeds and identify the different parts with the students so they can see first hand how the first leaves and embryonic roots form. http://www.mycaert.com/samples/070026.pdf

Some of the seeds can be planted in soil. When stems begin to form, dissect and look at some under a magnifying glass or a microscope. Look for the vascular structure (the veins) which is the plumbing of the plant. The stem provides the structure, but also the conduit for water and nutrients to be transported throughout the plant.

Leaves can also be examined closely. Search for the stomata or pores on the leaf. These tiny holes help the plant to "breath". It is where the gases of oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged during photosynthesis. They also give off water during the process of transpiration. 

The development of flowers is one of the most exciting parts of plant study. You may not want to wait for your in-class plants to get to that stage before dissecting some flowers. At this time of year the school grounds or your own garden may provide plenty of materials with which to work. Choose larger flowers that have distinctive parts that the children can readily view. Help them learn to identify the female part (pistil) and the male part (stamen), the petals and sepals. Review the functions of each (see resource list for more detail). Discuss how different plants are pollinated - insects, wind, bats.

Depending on the plants that you are growing and the length of time you have to watch their development, the students may be able to observe the formation of fruits (if the flowers have been pollinated) and the seed production. This brings the study full cycle. As a 5th grader that I worked with recently said while she was harvesting beans, "These look just like what we planted in the spring." Indeed!

Remind the students that the plants we eat go through most of these stages and are nurtured by the farmers who raise our food. Becoming a successful vegetable or fruit farmer requires a good knowledge of plant biology. Learning this stuff is not just fun but can actually be useful - imagine that!