Parts of a Plant

Where we live, it's almost time to plant a garden, and the perfect time to talk about plants. Here are PreK-2 ideas to get you started!

• Dissect a plant. Pull up a weed such as clover and talk about the different parts of a plant. Here's a cool diagram.
• Roots: Water and the Nitrogen Cycle 
• Stem: Capillary Action

"Walking Water" Experiment

You can also turn a white carnation pink.

• Leaves
• Oxygen and Carbon DiOxide: If you stick a leaf under water in the sun, after a few hours, bubbles of Oxygen will form.
• Photosynthesis (Glucose, Chloroplasts/Chlorophyll)
• Plant ID: Collect leaves and ID plants with these free ID Cards.
• Get really crazy by studying simple v. compound, alternate v. opposite, pinnate, palmate, parallel, and entire, serrate, undulate, crenate, and lobed
• Flowers: A simple google search will turn up a ton of flower parts diagrams.
• Bees!
• After flowers comes...
• Fruits & Seeds:
• Fruits & Vegetables: Here's another opportunity to dissect the real thing! Can you find the seeds in a strawberry and a tomato? What part of the plant does spinach come from? Carrots?

At Markothepencil.com, under Life Science Extras, you'll see worksheets for parts of the plant, photosynthesis, and the root system.

Here's a nice book to help you out:

"From Seed to Plant" by Gail Gibbons

Have fun!