Outline 5 minutes Introduction Your Name The Civic Garden Center- what do you think happens at the Civic Garden Center? Why Plants are Important-use them for clothing, food, medicine, shelter, etc. Survival-what is it? What do humans need to survive? What do plants need to survive? 15 minutes Activity: Life Cycle Cartoons Materials: pumpkin life cycle example, 30 copies of student handout (1/2 page printed front and back), leaf & flower images, colored pencils Ask the students to review a few life cycles (they can focus on plants or animals), show them the pumpkin life cycle as an example Encourage them to list the commonalities and differences between life cycles Pass out the handouts and instruct the students to draw a plant life cycle (they can use the leaf & flower images if they are stuck) Ask if any of the students want to share their life cycle cartoons with the class 15 minutes Activity: Germination Experiment Materials: pots, soil, seeds, tray, paper, pencils Show the students the materials you have for planting pea seeds Group the students into teams of 4 or 5 and ask them to create an experiment to test seed germination for pea plants Hand out scrap paper or have the students take out their science notebooks/journals to record their ideas Walk around the room and ask the students questions about their experiments 5 minutes Activity: Planting Seeds Materials: pots, soil, seeds, tray, information on seeds planted Have the students line up and plant seeds one at a time. Hand each student a pot, instruct them to scoop up some soil and then plant two seeds into their pot. Put all of the pots on a tray, place in a sunny window and add water. When everyone is finished, ask the students how they can help their seeds grow. 5 minutes Conclusion: What Can You Do? Materials: teacher handout with extension activities While you pass out the handout, ask the students to give ideas on how they can help the environment by taking care of plants and animals, composting, recycling, etc. Ask if they have any questions
Outreach Programs: Plant Survival 2nd & 3rd Grade Pumpkin Life Cycle Example
Student Handout
Leaf and Flower Images Apple Leaf & Flower Pear Leaf & Flower Peach Leaf & Flower Cherry Leaf & Flower Tomato Leaf & Flower Pepper Leaf & Flower
Potato Leaf & Flower Carrot Leaf & Flower Watermelon Leaf & Flower Pumpkin Leaf & Flower Corn Leaf & Flower Bean Leaf & Flower
Teacher Handout with Extension Activities Today you planted: PEAS Peas grow in sunny spots in the spring and fall. You should water your pea seeds every other day until you see them sprout. Then water when they are dry. Peas are vines so they need a stick, string, or fence to climb on. You can eat the flowers or wait for the pea pods to grow and then enjoy the green peas! Extension Activity After your peas have begun to grow, have the students complete the Venn diagram below to observe differences between the plants. Remind the students that the seeds all started out the same, and if your class conducted germination experiments to see which variables could influence growth remind them to record reasons why the plants may have different growth behaviors. We d love to see your students data! Call 513.221.0981 when you are ready to share their observations. Stem Characteristics Root Characteristics Leaf Characteristics