GRADE THREE SPRING NATURE WALK Colonial Plants

Transcription

1 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 1 GRADE THREE SPRING NATURE WALK Colonial Plants The land has a lot to do with how people have lived here. It has to do with the foods people grew, the clothes they wore, and the kinds of homes they built. From: Massachusetts: Our Home Children will imagine their family living in colonial times and facing a variety of needs. Colonial children's responsibilities to their family included finding, identifying, and collecting native plants to meet some of those needs. This is a chance to demonstrate how much children of long ago knew about the world around them. OBJECTIVES: Learn about how colonial families met many of their needs through the use of common plants. Identify common trees and wildflowers by their leaves and flours and habitats. Appreciate the amount of knowledge colonial people had about the natural world in Lexington and that some of this knowledge came from Native Americans. PREPARATION: Walk duration is 60 minutes; Schedule walk sometime in early May. The Big Backyard coordinator will identify trees and other plants with surveyor s tape. Alter the map and chosen plants if necessary, according to the location of the best plant specimens. Make copies of Colonial Family Jobs sheets for each group of students; Make copies of walk guide and summary sheet for each Big Backyard volunteer (print double-sided) Notify the school nurse of the scheduled walk. MATERIALS: Colonial Family Jobs sheets, one for each child in the group. Bug box (for the unexpected discovery). ACTIVITIES: Imagine what this land looked like in colonial times and how colonial families used the resources of the land to meet their needs. Identify trees and wild plants needed for jobs using Colonial Family Jobs sheets. Discuss how each plant was used. Discuss how important it was that children could identify harmful plants as well as helpful ones.

2 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 2 MAP

3 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 3 PRE-WALK ACTIVITIES: TO BE LED BY THE TEACHER 1. Ask children to close their eyes and pretend they and their family are living in colonial times. Say: Imagine this land as it might have looked 250 years ago. Would there be blacktop, telephone poles, school building, or a grassy schoolyard? Encourage children to picture their family living here, in a small wooden house with a shelter for farm animals, a cleared space for a garden, some cleared land for pasture, and perhaps a marshy area where a small pond is. Some uncleared land is wooded with large trees. (See photos, page 5.) Certainly no school! Ask: What about the forest near the school how do you think it has changed from the time Native Americans lived in this area? Native Americans cleared some areas for gardens, but also relied heavily on hunting for food. As more colonists arrived, more land was cleared of trees. Cleared land was used for growing crops, feeding livestock, and building houses. Wood from the trees was needed for lumber and fuel. After settlers abandoned farms and moved west in the 1800s, trees grew back. We have more forests in Lexington now than in late colonial times. 2. Make a list of things colonial people would need in order to survive in the New World. Discuss where and how colonial families met their needs for food, water, fuel for heat and light, clothing, medicines, shelter for themselves and their animals. What about furniture and spices? Some needed items were imported from Europe on ships, or were traded with the Native people in the area or other neighbors, but much came from the forest or field near the house. 3. Hand out the Colonial Family s Needs worksheets. Say: Imagine your family living in colonial times with this list of needs. Does your family have similar needs today? If you lived in colonial times, how would you have helped your parents meet these needs? Could you hop on your bicycle and go to the store? Do you know enough about the natural world around you to find and identify useful plants to help your family? Hand out the information sheets on common plants and how colonial people used these plants (Useful Colonial Plants). Explain that some needs were met by using plants that were grown in gardens for food and medicine. Many of these were brought from Europe. Some wild plants were also gathered that were useful. Point out that some of these plants were only found in New England, and the first colonists did not know how to use them. Native Americans shared their knowledge of these plants with colonists. For example, the first colonists had probably never seen corn before arriving in Massachusetts. The Wampanoags in Plymouth taught them how to plant and use the corn. Many wild plants were also unknown to the colonists.

4 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 4 Ask the children to use the Useful Colonial Plants sheets to find the name or names of plants that could be used to meet each of the needs on the worksheet. Often several plants can meet the same need. Have them write the name(s) of these plants on the Colonial Family s Needs sheet. Each child should complete a worksheet, but encourage children to work together as a group and share ideas. For example: NEED Wood used for fuel PLANT NAMES Cherry Maple Elm 4. When children have finished listing at least one plant to meet each need, explain that colonial children needed to know not only which plants to look for but also how to identify them! On their Big Backyard nature walk children will find colored surveyors tape marking useful plants. They will also learn how to recognize harmful plants. Ask: Do you know any harmful plants? (Poison ivy, nettles, etc.)

5 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 5 Mid 1700s: Clearing Land

6 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 6 NATURE WALK: TO BE LED BY BIG BACKYARD VOLUNTEER 1. Thinking about the past. While walking to plant locations, ask: What do people need in order to stay alive? (Food, water, protection shelter, clothing, warmth). What about when they are sick? (Medicine.) How did people in colonial Lexington meet these needs? Did they go to the Stop and Shop, CVS or Home Depot? How did people get what they needed to stay alive in colonial Lexington? There were very few stores. Food came from field and forest, and water came from ponds and streams. Shelter was found in houses built from forest wood and clay bricks. Heat for cooking and staying warm came from wood cut from nearby forest trees. Families needed to work together to get all these necessities. Children helped to gather useful plants, especially nuts in the fall. They would often become an assistant, or apprentice to an older person who taught them how to do a job. 2. Tree and wildflower identification. Tell the children that today they will pretend they have a colonial job. Each child will have to identify certain plants that are used for their job. Tell the children what the jobs are, and let them choose which job they would like. Hand out papers with the job title and pictures of the plants that the children will look for. Jobs are: o Healer (2). o Clothing maker. o Builder. o Cook. Hold up two different leaves. Ask: How can you tell one plant from another? (Leaf shape, type of plant-- tree, shrub, field wildflower--and habitat). Let the children start identifying the marked plants. Ask them to look carefully at the illustrations of the plants they need. Give them time to look at each plant and identify it by matching it with the illustration. The leader's role is to be supportive and to ask helpful questions that encourage careful observation. Invite children to work as a team and share their observations. Point out a few plants that were brought from Europe (E) by colonists (dandelion, tansy, plantain). Native Americans learned how to use some of these plants from the colonists. For example, plantain was called white man s footprint by native people because it came to America with European settlers. It was used to calm itchy insect bites. Tansy escaped from colonial gardens, and was used as medicine in colonial times (and is now) by some Native Americans. Point out a few native plants that colonists may have learned about from Native Americans (cherry, crab apple, white pine, etc.). These are labeled NA.

7 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring The children will learn about many plants that early settlers ate. Though colonial kids picked and ate wild foods, today it is a good idea NEVER to eat a wild plant unless a knowledgeable adult has identified it and knows the area where it is found. Many plants have look-a-likes. Even if you identify the plant correctly, you never know if some toxic chemical has been sprayed on it or if your friendly neighborhood dog has wet on it. Some plants need a little extra discussion. It was just as important for colonial children to identify harmful plants as helpful ones. Make it a point to identify poison ivy and caution children that even people who think they don t get itchy from it should not touch it. Tips to Identify Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) LEAF TYPE: Compound leaves with three leaflets (leading to the saying leaves of three, let it be ). The stalk of the middle leaflet is much longer than the stalks of the two side leaflets. The edges can be smooth or coarsely toothed. Leaves can be glossy or dull, red or green. There are NO thorns. GROWTH FORM: Climbing vine with many reddish hairs on stem, OR low plants that spread by underground stems. Poison ivy is number one on our list of plants to avoid, because it contains a resin that can induce an itchy skin rash if you touch it. The reaction can develop 12 hours to 5 days after exposure. Most people do not experience skin rashes the first time they touch poison ivy, but subsequent contact can trigger the reaction. Other lucky people do not seem to be susceptible, even after repeated exposures. When you return to the classroom, anyone that even thinks they might have touched poison ivy should wash thoroughly with soap and water. 3. Wrap up. When all plants have been identified, sit down as a group for a few minutes to discuss their observations. Ask: Which of you found supplies to do your job? Was it easy or difficult? Why? (Some plants don t yet have berries or are limited in number.) How did you learn about these plants? (From the Useful Colonial Plants sheet, and the BBY leader just the way apprentices did in colonial times!) How did colonists learn about the use of plants they never knew in Europe? (Native Americans helped them.) Did you discover anything that surprised you? Encourage some discussion and then return to school. Additional information for walk leaders: Dandelion: Also known as pee the bed, since eating too much dandelion increases urination (used as diuretic). Dandelion was on the register of medicinal plants in the U.S. until the 1900 s. 7

8 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 8 POST-WALK CURRICULUM INTEGRATION OPPORTUNITIES: TO BE CHOSEN AND LED BY THE TEACHER 1. Have groups compare their findings on the walk and talk about any difficulties they had identifying or finding trees or other wild plants. Check out their Colonial Family s Needs worksheets. Ask: If you were children living in colonial times, could you help your family meet all of these needs? 2. Literacy Link: An apprentice is a young assistant who learns the skills needed for a job. Which colonial job would you like to be an apprentice for? Why? Write your answer. 3. Social Studies Link: Discuss the role that Native Americans played in helping colonists learn how to live in Massachusetts. Many of the plants colonists found here were new to them. Have children research the role Samoset and Squanto played in helping the Pilgrims learn how to survive in Plymouth. (Excellent source: Massachusetts: Our Home, by Mary Stockwell and Courtney Thomas.) Ask children to give an example of a plant from Europe that Native Americans used. Plantain or tansy are good choices. Explain that this shows that Native Americans also learned from the colonists. They adopted the use of different plants and other materials found in Europe (iron and glass) when they found that these worked better that the resources they had. 4. Science Link: Many of our roadside and lawn plants today were not here before European settlers arrived. Dandelion, plantain, Queen Anne s lace, yarrow, garlic mustard and purple loosestrife (purple flowers found in wet areas) are examples. Some were brought on purpose as garden plants for food or medicine, and some came accidentally in ship s ballast. (Ships took on soil from wastelands in Europe so the ship would be heavier on the bottom and wouldn t tip so much while it was sailing. When they arrived in Massachusetts the soil was dumped to make room for wood and other cargo for their return trip to Europe. The soil had seeds of European plants that sprouted here. Some of these European plants escaped into the wild areas and grew very well. Since they were not eaten by native insects or other animals, sometimes they grew better than native plants.) Do some research on alien or invasive plants and find out why they are a problem. Use the word FOOD CHAIN in this report. 5. Social Studies Link: Compare the ways colonial children helped their family with the ways children help their family today. In colonial times the jobs for boys and for girls were very different. Ask: Is that true today? Do some library research to find out what colonial children did to help their family. 6. Science Link: Drying plant foods, Lesson X in the Water Cycle unit, is a good example of how colonial people preserved food for winter use. Preserve some fruits by drying them. Thin apple slices and grapes are good choices. Compare what happens to a sliced apple as it dries and a whole unpeeled apple (whole apple may rot.)

9 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 9 COLONIAL FAMILY'S NEEDS NAME DATE NEED PLANT Medicine for grandmother's cough. Wood to shingle a new barn or to make a new fence post. Must not rot easily. Wood as fuel for cooking. Medicine to stop bleeding and heal cuts. Wood for thin boards used for lessons at school. Used to treat winter blahs (lack of vitamins). Masts for a ship that could be sold in Boston.

10 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 10 Medicine for sore throats. Plants for food or drinks. Plants to dye cloth. Plants to ease the itch of mosquito bites. Wood for furniture. Medicine to treat colds and fever. Root roasted and used as a substitute for coffee.

11 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 11 USEFUL COLONIAL PLANTS NA = plants introduced to colonists by Native Americans (not found in Europe) E = plants brought from Europe (not found in North America) 1. BLACK CHERRY: NA Habitat-forest (Twigs and leaves poisonous cyanide.) Wood used for fence posts and furniture. Fruits dried for winter. Bark used to make cough medicine and treat colds and fever. Look for last year s fruit stems near its May blossoms. Young tree 2. CRAB APPLE: NA Habitat-edge of forest Fruit used to make jelly. Bark used as a dye. Flowers in May. 3. MULLEIN: NA Habitat-forest edge Used to treat colds and fevers. Flowers used as clothing dye. Also called Lamb s Ear. Feel how soft the leaves are. 4. DANDELION: E Habitat-field Leaves very high in vitamins and minerals. Used to treat winter blahs (lack of vitamins). A spring salad green. Root roasted and used as substitute for coffee. Also known as pee the bed. Eating too much dandelion increases urination (diuretic). Dandelion was on the register of medicinal plants in the US until the 1900 s. Its name is French meaning lion s tooth. It is named for the shape of the leaf segments.

12 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring STAGHORN SUMAC: NA Habitat-edge of fields Red berries used to make "lemonade." Berries used to treat sore throats, and to stop cuts from bleeding. Leaves, twigs and berries used to dye cloth. 6. RED MAPLE: NA Habitat-forest Used for building homes, barns, and furniture Used as fuel for cooking and heat The nickname for the seed pods are whirly-gigs or helicopters. 7. TANSY: E Habitat-field Tea from leaves used to treat colds. Notice the fern-like leaves and tall, dried stalks where its yellow button flowers grew last fall. 8. AMERICAN ELM NA Habitat-forest Bark used to make cough medicine Wood valued for building homes Used as fuel for cooking and warmth 9. SPRUCE: Habitat-forest Tea from needles cured sickness; high in Vitamin C. Used to make spruce beer Used to treat cuts and sores Used to build houses and barns

13 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 10. WHITE PINE: NA Habitat-forest Wood used for building houses and furniture. Tall straight trunks sold as masts for ships. Inner bark used to make cough syrup. Thin boards used for children's lessons at school. (Wood not good for fuel.) 11. PLANTAIN: E Habitat-open area Juice stops bleeding and helps cuts to heal. Leaves relieve itch from mosquito bites. Called white man s footprint by Native Americans. 13

14 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring COLONIAL FAMILY JOBS SHEET HEALER #1 White Pine Inner bark used to make cough syrup. Plantain Leaves relieve itch from mosquito bites. Tansy Tea made from leaves used to treat grandmother s cold. (Please turn over) 14

15 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 15 Staghorn Sumac Berries used to stop cuts from bleeding. Spruce Tea from needles cured sickness; high in Vitamin C.

16 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 16 COLONIAL FAMILY JOBS SHEET HEALER #2 Black Cherry Bark used to make cough medicine. Young tree Dandelion Leaves very high in vitamins and minerals. Used to treat winter blahs (lack of vitamins). Plantain Juice stops bleeding and helps cuts to heal. (Please turn over)

17 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 17 Mullein Medicine to treat colds and fevers. American Elm Bark used to make cough medicine.

18 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 18 COLONIAL FAMILY JOBS SHEET CLOTHING MAKER Crab apple Bark used as a yellow dye. Mullein Flowers used as yellow clothing dye. Staghorn Sumac Leaves, twigs and berries used to dye cloth a tan color.

19 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 19 COLONIAL FAMILY JOBS SHEET BUILDER Black Cherry Wood used for fence posts and furniture. Young tree Red Maple Wood used for building houses, barns, and furniture. American Elm Wood valuable for building homes and for fuel. Spruce Wood used for building houses and barns. (Please turn over)

20 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring White pine Wood used for building houses and furniture. Tall straight trunks sold as masts for ships. Thin boards used for children s lessons at school. 20

21 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 21 COLONIAL FAMILY JOBS SHEET COOK Black Cherry Fruits eaten, dried for winter. Young tree Crab apple Fruit used to make jelly. Dandelion Root roasted and used as substitute for coffee. Leaves very high in vitamins and minerals. Staghorn Sumac Red berries used to make lemonade. (Please turn over)

22 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 22 Spruce Used to make spruce beer.

23 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 23 NATURE WALK EVALUATION (Please leave in Big Backyard Room) Walk Leader: Grade and Teacher: Date: Children in Group: 1. What parts of the walk interested the children the most? (check all that apply) Colonial life Identifying plants Plant uses Colonial jobs Other: 2. What parts were not successful? (check all that apply) Colonial life Identifying plants Plant uses Colonial jobs Other: 3. This walk was: (circle one) TOO LONG JUST RIGHT TOO SHORT 4. The children seemed adequately prepared: (circle one) YES NO 5. This was a good working group: (circle one) YES NO 6. I felt adequately prepared to lead this walk: (circle one) YES NO 7. Other comments or suggestions:

24 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 24 COLONIAL FAMILY'S NEEDS ANSWER KEY NEED PLANT Medicine for grandmother's cough. Cherry Elm White Pine Wood to shingle a new barn or make a new fence post. Must not rot easily. Wood as fuel for cooking. Cherry Maple Elm Spruce White Pine Cherry Maple Elm Medicine to stop bleeding and heal cuts. Sumac Spruce Plantain Wood for thin boards used for lessons at school. White pine Used to treat winter blahs (lack of vitamins) Dandelions Spruce Masts for a ship that could be sold in Boston. White Pine

25 5/13 Harrington Grade Three Spring 25 Medicine for sore throats. Sumac Plants for food or drinks. Plants to dye cloth. Cherry Crab Apple Dandelion Sumac Spruce Crab Apple Mullein Sumac Plants to ease the itch of mosquito bites. Plantain Wood for furniture. Maple White pine Medicine to treat colds and fever. Cherry Mullein Tansy Root roasted and used as a substitute for coffee. Dandelion