PLANT EXPLORE LAB
FIRST GRADE
Biblical Introduction:
Its hard to imagine what our world would be like if God did not create plants.
They are everywhere. Plants color and decorate the world in a multitude of
variations. Our very lives depend on plants. They provide oxygen, food,
shade, housing, clothing, medicine, and even transportation (wood for boats).
We are blessed to have so many plants to use and enjoy. Truly, God
expresses His love to us in the variety and number of plants He has created.
Scientists are still finding, classifying, and cataloging rare, undiscovered
plants. There seems to be no limit to the number and variation of God’s
amazing plants! God likens the blessed man as one who is “like a tree planted by
streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”
Psalms 1:3 We are all blessed by the great abundance of plants God provides
for our use.
“We must never cease from exploring. At the end of all of our exploring will be to
arrive at where we began and know the place for the first time.” T.S.Elliot
Vocabulary Words:
Chlorophyll is special green stuff that traps the sun’s energy to make food.
Flowers are the parts of plants that make seeds. They come in many shapes,
sizes and colors.
Petals have bright colors and sweet smells to attract insects to the plant.
Pistils are the yellow parts right in the middle of the flower.
Stamens grow around the pistil. Yellow pollen brushes off the stamens and
onto the pistils.
Pollination is when the pollen from one flower reaches the pistils of another
of the same kind. Then the plant starts to make seeds.
Center 1:
Roots
Students will learn how to grow roots by taking leaf cuttings. Watch
their eyes grow wide with delight when they see their very own plant
leaf start to grow roots!
Materials:
Leaf cuttings such as: African violets, coleus, impatience, peperomias,
philodendron, pathos, geranium, chrysanthemums
Vermiculite or sand
1 small plastic pot per child
Aluminum meatloaf pan
Examples of roots; carrots, potatoes, and root farm
Magnifying lenses
Objectives:
1. Observe how plants grow roots.
2. Predict how long it will take for cuttings and seeds to grow roots.
Procedure:
Making Leaf Cuttings:
1. Pinch or cut about 2-8 inches of stem from the host plant. Now,
remove any leaves or flowers at the base of the cutting. A bare node
should be visible at the base of the cutting.
2. Dip the bottom of the stem with the bare node into the rooting
powder. Dip to a depth that will cover the stem lightly to a point
slightly higher than the cutting will be set in the rooting medium. To
remove excess powder, tap on the edge of the container, letting the
excess powder fall back into the unused rooting powder.
3. Plant the cuttings in pre-moistened vermiculite or sand. Make a small
hole with a pencil in the potting medium before planting so the powder
does not rub off when planting.
4. Wash hands immediately after planting or use wet wipes.
Questions to ask:
1. How do roots help plants to grow and survive? (Roots allow the plant
to absorb water and nutrients. They also stabilize the plant.)
2. Can a plant survive for long without roots? (No)
3. Predict: How long will it take for the plant to make its own roots.
Center 2:
Soil Composting for Root Growth
“If every gnat that flies were an archangel, all that could but tell me that there is a God,
and the poorest worm that creeps tells me that.” John Donne, Sermons
In this center we will explore soil and worms that help plant roots to grow.
Materials List:
Worm bin
Gloves
Magnifying glasses
Spades
Containers for observation
Red cellophane
flashlight
Objectives:
1. Explore the inside of a worm bin and see how the worms aerate and
create good soil for roots to thrive.
Background information on Worms (VERMICULTURE):
 A distinguishing feature of all worms is the segments along the length
of their body. Worms lengthen and contract by alternating the
muscles connected to each adjoining segment. They also have one long
muscle that runs straight through their body. This helps them to
move, twist, lengthen and burrow through the soil. Another thing that
helps worms move is the setae on the rings of its segments. These
are tiny bristles that anchor themselves in the ground. That is why
robins have to work so hard to pull a worm out of its hiding place.
Worms have no eyes but they hate the light and will move away from
it. They come out at night and stay under debris and rocks. The
narrow pointed end of a worm is the front end. This part can thicken
and force soil apart. Worms eat from this end. They have a mouth
but no teeth. Worms have glands in their skin that keep them moist.
They breathe through their skin. That is why when it rains worms
rush above ground to breathe. Each worm has both male and female
reproductive organs. A wide white band called the clitellum is located
around its middle. When two worms mate they join together around
this band with their heads pointing in opposite directions. After
fertilization the clitellum encapsulate mucus around the eggs and
release them into the soil. Worm eggs look small and red or purplish
in color. They are the size of rice or of a small pea. Look for these in
your worm bin. Worm castings are a valuable fertilizer and a great
way for children to improve the quality of the soil in your school
habitat. Vermiculture is both the art of worm composting and the
resulting worm castings, which is the best fertilizer available. This is
a popular way to compost in a school setting because it can be done
inside, it can be odor free, and children can see the interaction of all
the life forms in the container.
Worm Bin Observation:
1. Explore the worm bin. Look for eggs and discuss how compost worms
aerate and fertilize the soil to help roots grow.
2. Remove several worms from the bin and place in observation
containers. Allow children to observe worms.
3. Red Light: Shine a flashlight on a worm’s head (the side closest to the
collar, clitellum). How does the worm react? Now place some red
cellophane over the lens of the flashlight. How does the worm react?
Do this in the room with the lights out.
4. Worm Camping: Make a tent for your worm by placing a small folded
square of black construction paper like a roof over the worm. Allow a
portion of one side of the worm to stick out. Shine a flashlight on
this end. Now try it with the other side of the worm. The side that
pulls away from the light the fastest is the front end of the worm.
Questions to ask:
1. Will roots grow better in open soil or in compact, dense soil? (Open,
aerated soil)
Center 3:
Flowers
In this center we will learn about the parts of a flower. Stamping parts of a
plant onto paper will illustrate the three main parts of a plant (stem, leaf,
and flower). A bowl full of flowers is sure to captivate inquisitive students
and help them to identify the various parts of a flower.
Teacher Background:
1. The main purpose of a flower is to make seeds.
2. Petals shelter the inside parts of a flower. The color or markings of
some petals attracts insects and birds.
3. Some flowers have both male and female parts.
4. The female part is the pistil.
5. The male part is the stamen. These are stalks that surround the pistil.
6. Each stamen holds yellow dust called pollen. Pollen must move from a
stamen to the pistil for a flower to reproduce.
Materials Needed:
flowers: non fleshy types work best (pansies work very well and dry fast)
Lakeshore rubber stamp plant kit
paper
A bowl full of flower samples
Laminated picture of a flower and its parts
Bee pollen
United Streaming video
Objectives:
1. Identify the parts of a flower: petals, pistil, stamen, pollen.
2. Taste bee pollen and observe pollen
3. Observe a seed that has recently sprouted
Vocabulary Words:
Flowers are the parts of plants that make seeds. They come in many shapes,
sizes and colors.
Petals have bright colors and sweet smells to attract insects to the plant.
Pistils are the yellow parts right in the middle of the flower.
Stamens grow around the pistil. Yellow pollen brushes off the stamens and
onto the pistils.
Pollination is when the pollen from one flower reaches the pistils of another
of the same kind. Then the plant starts to make seeds.
Procedure:
Lakeshore Rubber Stamp Kit
1. Allow students to find the stamp that corresponds to the picture of
the plant on their card.
2. Ask them to identify the stem, leaves, and flowers.
Bowl of Flowers:
1. Examine the flowers in the bowl with a magnifying glass.
2. Try to identify the various parts of the flowers based on the
laminated picture of the flower and its parts.
3. Examine the bee pollen under a magnifying lens.
4. Examine the seeds of quinoa and the recently sprouted seeds.
Questions to ask:
1. What kinds of flowers did we dry today? (Johnnie Jump Ups)
2. Can you find the sepals, petals, stamen and pistil on these flowers?
3. How are flowers pollinated? (Pollen spreads from the stamens onto
the pistils.)
4. Can you identify the various parts of the plant you made with the
stamp kit?
Center 4:
Leaves
In this center we will make a chlorophyll fern imprint handkerchief. Ferns
are great for imprinting chlorophyll because they lay flat, release a
permanent dye, and the children will love hammering away at anything! Be
sure to stay close and hold their hands while hammering… We will also
observe an experiment as a leaf releases oxygen from its stomata.
Teacher Background:
1. Leaves use energy from the sun, water from the soil, and carbon
dioxide from the air to make food for the plant. This process is
called photosynthesis.
2. Leaves release oxygen and water into the air.
Materials Needed:
Old sheet or towel
Paper towels
One small writing board or hard surface to lay under the handkerchief
Stack of old newspapers
One handkerchief per class
Adhesive tape or painters tape
Bag of fresh spinach
Green permanent fabric marker
clear glass bowl
water
several magnifying glasses
Objectives:
1. Understand that chlorophyll is the green color in plant leaves.
2. Describe how chlorophyll traps the sun’s energy to make food for the
plant.
3. Observe oxygen leaving a leaf through the stomatas.
Vocabulary Words:
Chlorophyll is special green stuff that traps the sun’s energy to make food.
Stomata are the holes in a leaf through which the plant releases oxygen.
Procedure:
Chlorophyll Handkerchiefs:
1. Cover work area with a sheet or towels. To keep the design from
going through to the back of the handkerchief, place a paper towel on
top of the board, place some newspapers under the board, then lay
this under the handkerchief.
2. Press and scrape the spinach into the handkerchief so the chlorophyll
comes out and onto the fabric.
3. Ask the students to explain what the green “stuff” is and what it is
for. (Chlorophyll and it is what makes food for the plant)
Leaf Experiment:
1. Lay the leaf in a clear glass bowl and ask the students to look
carefully at it with the magnifying glass.
2. Now add water and observe the bubbles forming and rising off the
leaf. Ask the students what the bubbles are made of. (oxygen) What
are the tiny holes called where the oxygen is being released?
(stomata)
Questions to ask:
1. What substance did you transfer to your bag? (chlorophyll)
2. What did we see the plant releasing when it was covered with water?
(oxygen)
3. What is the name of the tiny holes through which the leaf allows the
oxygen to escape? (stomata)
The Scientific Method
1. Ask a question
2. Gather information through observation
3. Make an educated guess or hypothesis about the answer to
your question
4. Design an experiment
Evaluate the results