Grow Native - cedarcreekinstitute.org · Web viewCreate a wildflower book mark. Collect some beautiful flowers and place them between sheets of white paper under several heavy books

Grow Native Native Plants and Their Pollinators

ObjectivesStudents will…..

Observe a variety of prairie wildflowers up close and notice the differences between them

Learn basic flower identification skills and learn more about some common prairie wildflowers in Michigan

Learn the basic life cycle of a plant and look for evidence of plants in these different stages

Discover the parts of a flower (leaves, stem, pollen, roots, petals) by observing the plant up close in the gardens

Learn about pollination and observe pollinators up close

Length of Lesson90 minutes, either in one long block, or in several shorter activities (15-20 minutes each) over the course of a week.

Grade LevelsPreschool, Young-Fives, Kindergarten, and 1st grade (see program notes for adaptations)

Standards covered L.OL.00.11 Identify that living things have basic needs. L.OL.00.12 Identify and compare living and nonliving things. S.IP.00.11 Make purposeful observation of the natural world using the appropriate

senses. S.RS.00.11 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations, performances,

models, exhibits, and activities. E.SE.00.12 Describe how Earth materials contribute to the growth of plant and animal

life.

Materials Pre Activity:

o Native wildflower coloring pageso Crayons/markers/colored pencils

Intro Activity: o Storybook (Tiny Seed by Eric Carle or Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert)o Optional pollinator puppets/flower models for discussion

Exploration/Observation: Prairie Wildflower Hike o flower model o hand lens

April 29, 2015 Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Grow Native Curriculum

o fake flowero pollinator profile cards and flower description cardso sunflower seedso Bugs & Blooms hand-out

Conservation project: native seeds or plugs Art project: Torn paper flowers

o tissue papero glueo pencilso cardboard

Plant Parts lyrics for instructors (http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/songs/plantparts.html)BackgroundStudents will learn about different pollination strategies that plants use to attract pollinators and the types of pollinators that pollinate flowers by matching pollinators to specific flowers. As time permits, students will learn how honeybees communicate with one another as to where flowers are located. Students will become “honeybees” and dance to show the “bees” where the pollen/flowers are.

Flowers use different strategies to attract pollinators. Spring ephemeral wildflowers rely on smell and early blooming time to attract pollinators while prairie wildflowers may rely on their brightly colored petals, abundance of sweet nectar, and unique shapes to attract pollinators. Petals have evolved to form landing pads for bees to rest on while gathering nectar and pollen. Flowers also utilize ultraviolet lines that direct insects to their centers.

Flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects: bees, ants, beetles, flies, mosquitoes, butterflies, etc. In addition, bats and hummingbirds also pollinate flowers. Finally, some flowers self-pollinate and use the wind to move their pollen.

Activities of the session

Proposed Schedule*Time Activity Description Location

10:00 Pre-activity Lab classroom10:10 Welcome, introduction, dividing into 2 groups,

restroomsLab classroom

10:20 Exploration hike (Bugs & Blooms, Flower Fantasy, Pollinator Parade & optional Bee Dance game)

Berms/gardens

10:55 Conservation project Berms/gardens11:10 Art project (tissue paper flower collages) Lab classroom11:30 Home and discovery pages and dismissal Lab classroom*Can omit activities as time, interest and weather permits.

1. Pre Activities (10 minutes):o Native wildflower coloring sheetso Discussion of prairies and native plants. Remind students that prairies are areas

that are open, mainly with grasses and flowers, while forests have trees as a major feature. Introduce the idea of native plants as plants that are from Michigan.

o Introduce the students to the idea that flowers are pollinated in different ways (this is a good time to show a flower or a model of a flower). Ask them to name


some ways (or types of pollinators) that pollinate flowers. Hopefully, they will suggest a variety of insects. Share the other ways they didn’t mention, and explain that flowers have certain characteristics to attract specific pollinators such as color, scent, shapes, etc. In this next activity we are going to look at some of these ways.

2. Introductory Activities (10 minutes):o Read the Tiny Seed by Eric Carle or Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlerto Plant Parts Song (optional)—you can find the lyrics at

http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/songs/plantparts.html

The Plant Part SongTune: The Farmer in the Dellwritten by Mrs. JonesThe seed makes a plant.The seed makes a plant.With soil and rain and sunny days,The seed makes a plant.

The roots find the water.The roots find the water.With soil and rain and sunny days,The roots find the water.

The stem holds it up.The stem holds it up.With soil and rain and sunny days,The stem holds it up.

The leaves make the food.The leaves make the food.With soil and rain and sunny days,The leaves make the food.

The flower makes the fruit.The flower makes the fruit.With soil and rain and sunny days,The flower makes the fruit.

The fruit holds the seeds.The fruit holds the seeds.With soil and rain and sunny days,The fruit holds the seeds.

3. Exploration & Observation Activities (30 minutes if you include all three activities):

o Flower Fantasy (A Dramatic Reading) adapted from: Keepers of Life by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac, p. 139-140. (Suggested motions are in capital letters)


http://www.mrsjonesroom.com/songs/plantparts.html

You are a tiny seed buried in a field of rich, dark soil (CURL UP IN A BALL CLOSE TO THE GROUND). It is spring time and each day the soil get warmer in the sun and wetter with the spring rain. Soon you are about to sprout! First, your root splits out of your seed coat and reaches down into the soil (STRETCH ONE LEG OUT INTO THE GROUND). Then, two small leaves push through the soil into the bright sunlight. (SLOWLY REACH TWO HANDS OUT TOWARDS THE SUN). Each day you grow a longer, stronger stem and large wide leaves that catch the sun’s energy and make food that feeds you. (CONTINUE TO STRETCH OUT HANDS AND GROW TALLER) More leaves grow and branches form with flowers and buds. The wind bends you at times, but you are anchored strong in the soil. (SWAY FROM SIDE TO SIDE) One day, the large bud on the top of your stem begins to open. Soon a large, round yellow flower with many petals opens. (MAKE A CIRCLE WITH YOUR ARMS OVER YOUR HEAD). Buzzing bees and other insects visit your flower every day. (LEADER MAKES BUZZING SOUNDS). The bees pollinate your flower and soon tiny seeds form where the flower once was. (HAVE STUDENTS EXTEND ONE HAND ABOVE THEIR HEAD WITH THE PALM FACING UP - PLACE A SEED ON EACH PALM).Birds are landing on you to eat your seed. (ADULT PRETENDS TO BE BIRD AND COLLECTS A FEW SEEDS). Some of the seeds drop to the ground from the birds or from you. (HAVE STUDENTS DROP REMAINING SEEDS ON FLOOR). The days start getting colder and the frost causes your leaves and flowers to droop. (CHILDREN BEND OVER LIKE DROOPING FLOWER). Some of your seeds on the ground are buried by squirrels for the long winter ahead. (HAVE AN ADULT PRETEND TO BE A SQUIRREL BURYING SEEDS). The squirrel forgets some seeds and they will grow into new plants next year. When the snow starts to fall, your leaves, stems and flowers are brown and withered. (HAVE EVERYONE FALL TO THE GROUND). But, your seeds will grow next spring

o Prairie wildflower hike - Take the students outside to the prairie (or any area that has flowers that are blooming). Have the students look for flowers and observe the flowers to see if there are any pollinators visiting the flowers. Use the Bugs & Blooms handout to do plant and pollinator observations and basic identification. As you walk along the berm flower planting, try to find a variety of blooms and pollinators. Each of the students can have their own handout, and have them check off (likely as a class) the different colors of flowers and types of pollinators they see. Have the students use their five senses as they are doing this activity.

o Bee Dance : This activity is a lot of fun and works well for younger students. They don’t have to get all the dances exactly right to get the idea that bees communicate by dancing, and you can draw with chalk on the ground to help them follow along if you need to give them a route to dance.


4. Conservation Project (10-20 minutes, depending on your planting arrangement and number of plants):

o Plant native seeds or plugs: You can plant either plant seeds or small plants from a nursery to help create more prairie habitat. Example plants include milkweed, black-eyed susans, purple coneflowers, and other native plants. If starting from seed, you can either plant directly in the ground or raise them in small cardboard milk containers until you plant them outside.

5. Art Project (15 minutes):o Tissue paper flower collages

Students will have the opportunity to create their own flower collages by using various colors of tissue paper, construction paper and glue. The students can use a green piece of construction paper as their garden, and then have them glue on pieces of colored tissue paper to make flowers.

6. At Home Activities: Create your own letter for caretakers using the template below:

Preschooler Discovery PageApril 29, 2015 Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Grow Native Curriculum

(Informational hand-out to send home to caretakers of preschoolers—adapt according to what you did with your class)

Today we learned about native prairie wildflowers

Today we learned:a. Flowers are a very important part of the plant life cycle. They can self-pollinate,

use wind pollination, or use their petals and nectar to attract pollinators such as bees, bats, hummingbirds, and other insects to the plants. Then these pollinators assist with pollination which leads to the production of seeds. These seeds enable the plant to reproduce.

b. A plant goes through a life cycle. It starts out as a tiny seed that grows into a sprout, then into a flower which uses its various characteristics to attract pollinators to help it become fertilized and then produce fruit. The fruit that is produced contains those tiny seeds and the whole cycle starts over again.

c. A few Michigan wildflowers that live here in our prairies and fields are: black-eyed susans, purple coneflowers, wild blue lupine, wild columbine, and even a prickly pear cactus!

What we did today: d. We took a hike through the gardens to look for wildflowers that are blooming. We

looked for black-eyed susans, purple conflowers, wild blue lupine, and even a cactus that grows in Michigan.

e. Along the way we learned about the life cycle of a plant by pretending that we were plants growing from a tiny seed to a big giant flower.

f. We observed pollinators, small bees and wasps, busy collecting pollen and nectar from the flowers and leaned how to dance like bees.

g. After our long hike, we had fun making beautiful tissue paper flowers.At home activities:

h. For a fun snack and cooking adventure, make fruit flowers together. You’ll need several types of fruit and celery. Cut the fruit into this slices and the celery stalks in half lengthwise. Use the fruit slices to arrange beautiful edible flowers and the celery as the flower’s stem. Enjoy this healthy and fun snack!

i. Go on a wildflower scavenger hunt in your own neighborhood! Look for a flower with three petals, a flower with more than five petals, a pink flower, a flower on a tree, pollen, a plant with more than one flower on its stem, a flower with an insect on it and a flower that smells nice.

j. Read a good book. Here are some of our favorite books about flowers:i. A Seed is Sleepy (Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long)ii. On One Flower Butterflies, Ticks and a Few More Icks (Anthony Fredericks)iii. I Saw It in the Garden (Martin Brennan)iv. Planting a Rainbow (Lois Ehlert)

k. Dissect a flower. Look for all the flower’s parts: stem, sepals, petals, pistil, stamens, and pollen

l. Create a wildflower book mark. Collect some beautiful flowers and place them between sheets of white paper under several heavy books and leave them there for several days. After the flowers are pressed, place them on a sheet of contact paper. Place another piece of contact paper over them to create your book mark. This activity can also be done with wax paper, by ironing the wax paper under a towel to seal it.


ResourcesWant to learn more about native plants and how to make a butterfly garden? Then visit some of our favorite websites for more information and to get started.

i. Michigan State Native Plant: http://nativeplants.msu.edu/ii. Michigan Wildflower Association: http://www.wildflowersmich.org/iii. Wild Ones: http://www.for-wild.org/iv. Michigan Wildflower Coloring Sheets:

http://www.oaklandwildflowerfarm.com

Recommended Preschool-appropriate story books Planting a Rainbow (Lois Ehlert) I Saw it in the Garden (Martin Brennan) A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds (Jean Richards) The Reason for a Flower (Ruth Heller) A Seed is Sleepy (Dianna Hutts Aston) This is a Sunflower (Lola M. Schaefer)

Other Resources:Small Wonders (by Linda Garrett and Hannah Thomas) has several activities on plants and pollinators (including a puppet show).Wildflowers of Michigan: A Native Plant Coloring Book (Oakland Wildflower Farm, LLC)


http://www.oaklandwildflowerfarm.com/

http://www.for-wild.org/

http://nativeplants.msu.edu/

Extensions and ModificationsThis lesson was originally presented as a field trip model, but it would also do well as a series of activities split up over a week in the classroom. In this way, you could do 15-30 minutes each day instead of one larger block of time. If this activity is done in the winter, it would good to bring in a variety of flowers from a flower store for students to look at.


Appendix: Bugs and Blooms Search

Directions: As you walk along the berm, try to find a variety of blooms and pollinators.



Documents

Grow Native - cedarcreekinstitute.org · Web viewCreate a wildflower book mark. Collect some beautiful flowers and place them between sheets of white paper under several heavy books