Plant Detective: Edible Plant Parts

Mission 1: Learning the basics
Edible plant parts can be super tricky! Kids sign on for an investigation mission and see if they can make an inference about what plant part different snacks are. First, give each child a sandwich baggie with one of each of the edible plant parts featured above (sunflower seed, grape tomato, broccoli, spinach, celery, carrot). Then, kids make an inference about each item based on their observations. They lay each item in the correct box on the sheet below. Afterwards, discuss how they decided where to place each item. Then, ask students if they can think of any other seeds, fruits, flowers, leaves, stems, and roots we eat.

photo credit: chef meg

Mission 2: Seed Investigation
1. As a class, create a list of all the seeds we eat. See how many edible seeds students can think of without any help. 
(Examples: pomegranate, corn, peas, peanuts - if no allergies, edamame, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.) 

2. Bring in a pomegranate, cut it open, and eat some seeds!

Mission 3: Earn the title of Master of Edible Plant Parts Detective - Kids explore on their own!
Set out real edible plant parts and tape labels on the table (Seed, Fruit, Flower, Leaf, Stem, Root). Kids sort the vegetables and categorize them under the correct label. Students check their work with the teacher and earn a badge to glue in their science notebook!
Here are a few examples:
Seed
See examples from seed investigation
Fruit

Apple, Tomato, Avocado, Cucumber (make it tricky!)

Flower

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Artichoke

Leaf

Spinach, Lettuce, Cabbage

Stem

Celery, Asparagus, Rhubarb, Bamboo Shoot, Potato

Root

Carrot, Radish, Beet, Turnip, Rutabaga, Malanga, Celeriac

Food Chain Stacking Cups

animal photos via alamy

snake via flickr cc: Matt Reinbold

Awesome idea from Earth Mama's World: Food Chain game out of styrofoam cups! Just glue images on to your cups and write the name of the organism on the rim. Mix them up, have kids put them in order, and stack them!

If you have older students, and are working with more complex wood webs, have kids stack cups in a pyramid shape, rather than nested. 

H2O Race

photo via surf ky video

I was inspired by Hooked on Science's H2O Race (an experiment on cohesion); so, I created my own game board to go along with a water cycle unit. Two different science lessons in one game! Kids learn about water cohesion and see three of the steps of the water cycle.

1. Print 2 copies of the game board below.
2. Cover the game boards with contact paper.
3. Place one drop of water near the start area on both boards.
4. Then, with a toothpick, each player "pulls" their drop of water along their game board.
5. Whoever reaches the finish line first wins!

Explanation - Water molecules are attracted to one another: Cohesion! If you scroll through Surf Ky's Hooked on Science video channel, you can see the water cohesion game (above) in action!

Constellation Viewer

Kids transform into mini Astronomers! 2 freebies from Austin Kids (edit: this site is down) and Girl Start (both featured above). Punch (make holes) the templates and stick the printable cards over a flashlight, turn off the lights, and go stargazing indoors! Update: here is another link for a free printable of constellation templates from Playground Park Bench!

Also, check out Moon Phase Viewer and Cloud Viewer!

Tape Math

Create oversized ten frames and number lines on the classroom floor! You could even practice coordinate graphing! Then, use your tape roll to go on an angle walk (below)! Click here for details! Also, check out Polygon Construction!

Other activities that can be done with tape in the classroom:
Hot Wheels Math
Blacktop Geometry
Me! Graphing
Hop the Clock!
Run N Round
Kid Calculator
Oreo Math

Trilobites!

Construct your very own paper trilobite: 3 different versions!

Featured above:
1. CSIRO - 2 different colors and an edible version!
2. Tau Rho Alpha's Paper Models (also check out the volcano model!)
3. Black / white version (kids color) that tucks in a ball (not pictured) - ESCONI

Marshmallows 101

Chemistry - Have fun munching and constucting a marshmallow atom!
Featured above:
3D model - Angelfire
Paper Plate "Electron Shells" - The Daniel Academy
2D model - Lights, Camera, Learn

More atom activities:
Over-sized outdoor atom on the blacktop - 5th Grade Rocks, 5th Grade Rules - kids play the role of the protons, neutrons, and electrons! Plus, many more hands on projects!
Scholastic - Chemistry for 3rd graders - lots of activities that kids can snack on!

photo via adventures of first grade

Geometry - If you don't eat all of your marshmallows, save them for a the classic toothpick and mini marshmallow geometry lesson! Kids construct outlines of 3D solids, as well as polygons. This is a great activity to help kids count the vertices of shapes! (Note: You will want to use dried spaghetti for the rectangular prism to get the correct number of vertices) Visit Adventures of First Grade for details! There is even a scavenger hunt to go along with this activity!

photo credit Tufts Now

Engineering - You can also just have fun free stylin'! Kids can become mini engineers and build skyscrapers and bridges! Who can make the tallest structure without it collapsing?! - link for tall structures here!

Car CRASH! Contractions

Two words crash and what happens: a contraction! Integrate contraction surgery with car crash contractions. Two words crash and come together! The word had a minor injury when it magically transformed. Therefore, it's time for contraction surgery! Kids give the word a bandaid where the apostrophe should be and presto: a contraction! Click here for contraction surgery details. Below is a free printable:

Hand Turkey Dice Games

Fractions

Students play the game in small groups. First they all trace their hand with a pencil on paper. Then they take turns rolling the color dice. The color the die lands on indicates what color they should color a single feather (or finger). Once everyone has colored all of their feathers, they figure out the fraction for their hand turkey!

Place Value

For this small group game, all players trace their hand and label their feathers with ones, tens, hundreds and thousands. They take turns rolling the die. Then they write the number on the feather starting with the ones place. After all of the players have filled their hand turkey’s feathers, they compare their numbers. Who had the greatest? Whose number was the smallest? Did anyone have the same number?

Roll a Turkey

Practice subitizing and addition skills by rolling a turkey! First, kids trace their hand. Then, the game begins! They add one part to their turkey after each roll (2 dice). Whoever completes their turkey first wins!

Geology Chef

Cook up some SWEET rocks in the Geology Kitchen! For more rock cooking classes click here!




Also, check out the SWEET Rock Lab by To the Square Inch!

Artful Science

Fun art projects aren't just for preschoolers! The activities featured below all relate to the common core. Plus, kids can take their science experiment home to hang on the fridge!

1. Explore force, energy, and motion with artful physics!

Featured Above:

Inclined Plane Painting (Ramps) - BIA SFClubhouse

Marbles in Motion (Gravity, Energy, Inclined Plane) - Harris County Public Library 

Snap Art (Force, Potential vs. Kinetic Energy) - Capital B

2. Learn about solids, liquids, and gases with artful matter! 

Featured Above (From left to right):

Liquids to Solids 
1. Color Changing Glue Art - School at St. George Place
2. Plastic Milk - Science Bob
3. Colored Glue Drawings - Art with Mrs. Smith

Solids to Liquids

1. Paint with watercolor and watch a solid transform into a liquid!

2. Ice Cube Painting - CertaPro

Air, It's There!

1. Straw Blowing Art - Robert Burridge and Kaplan (pictured)

2. Bubble Prints - Family Fun

Liquids and Solids

1. Magic Salt Painting - Spoonful

Liquid Bliss

Paper Towel Fusion (not pictured) - Sprout 'n' Wings

More Artful Science
Play with precipitation: Water Cycle Rain Art - Terra Savvy
Explore Magnetism with Magnetic Art - BIA SFClubhouse

Fractions with Pattern Blocks

Teacher Blogspot simplified fractions for students with the use of pattern blocks! I really like this idea. So, I turned it into a part, part, whole activity! 

Check out Illuminations and Cynthia Lanius for free printables to go along with this lesson!

For younger kids, check out Joyful Learning in KC's Eric Carle Math with pattern blocks!
Use pattern blocks for missing addends, click here and scroll down!
Click here to see this activity with coins!

GCF and LCM

In addition to the factoring tree, try these two different ways to find the greatest common factor and least common multiple by Rebecca Newburn!

"Indian Method"
Kids figure out what number goes into each of the digits (should be the same numeral). They write the number along the side line to the left. They continue this process until there is no common divisor. Then, they multiply the numbers (common divisors) on the left and presto - they have their GCF! To find the LCM, they create an "L" around the numbers to the left and the bottom row (see example below). They multiply and find the least common multiple, easy! This method makes it a cinch for students to find the GCF and LCM of more than 2 numbers. Click here for a video!

"Birthday Cake Factorization" and Venn
Kids create tiers for their "cake" (see example below), when they reach the number 1, voila, they have a candle! Then, using their "cakes," they can figure out the greatest common factor and least common multiple with the help of a venn diagram. Click here to see the process in action! Also check out Rebecca's other videos for making math simple!

Simile Walk

Go on a simile walk and describe what you see! This is a great activity to get kids to think out of the box and improve their writing. Remember to use like or as.

Example:
That tree is as tall as a skyscraper.
That leaf is crunchy like a potato chip.
That rock is as smooth as satin.

Reading Connection: My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil

Sentence Makeover: Hyperboles

Have students write the most boring, drab sentence they can think of. Then, toss their sentences in a bag and have your students choose one and transform it into a hot hyperbole! Once they made the drab sentence over, have them use it for a writing prompt.

You could also have a hyperbole competition. Instead of 'Yo Mamma" jokes, come up with another topic for kids to challenge one another with.

Click here for a list of hyperboles.

Idiom Math

Besides figuring out the meaning of idioms, integrate math into the lesson! 

Other examples: 
Dime a dozen - what does a dozen dimes equal ($1.20)
On cloud 9 - someone is on 1 of 9 clouds = 1/9
It takes 2 to tango - write the fraction of people (maybe 1 girl, 1 boy)
One jump ahead of (a frog). - write the fraction of the other animals in line.
Take five - write the fraction, five of what
Dressed to the 9's - how many 9's on a dress
Catch 40 winks - make an array
Feel like a million bucks - explore three addends, what would equal 1 million

Art and writing idiom activities - Minds in Bloom and Idioms by Kids. 
3rd Grade Grapevine has a free printable for kids to draw and write their idiom's meaning.

List of Idioms - Number, Money, Animal, Color, Food, Various

Native Americans

photo via telegraph.co.uk

After re-watching all 6 seasons of the TV show "Northern Exposure," which features the Northwestern tribe the Tlingits, I was inspired to write a post devoted to Native American crafts and activities for kids. Some of the crafts below can be incorporated into a Thanksgiving them. Others, which don't relate to the Wampanoag tribe, can simply be used in a history lesson.

Totem Pole Stories - Have students collaborate and create a totem pole that tells a story. You can create wall totem poles outside of your classroom or make totem poles out of paper towel rolls.
Unplug Your Kids - wall stories
My Adventures in Positive Space - paper towel roll example

Native American Paper Bag Vest
1. Lay the bag down flat, with the flap towards you. Cut out a half-circle shape for the neckline, leaving a couple inches on both sides at the shoulder seams.
2. Cut straight down the bag to create an opening. (Don't go through both sides of the bag!)
3. Side with neckline - Cut half circles out of both sides for the arm holes. Please, please don't make your bag look like a cube on the child - stylize it! :)
4. Bottom of the vest - Cut half circles to make it more vest-like. Then, cut fringe (strips) along the bottom.
5. Decorate using natural fruit and plant based paints, made by your students! Find Native American symbols for kids to paint.

Science Activity - Natural Paint
1. Materials: beets (careful they stain!), spinach or kale, red onion skins, berries, black walnuts, coffee grounds, tea, carrot skins, dandelions or marigolds (click here for more ideas)
2. Instructions: Boil until water has turned colored, let cool, and paint!
Below are sites with detailed instructions: 
Boiled - ehow
No boiling required - Weird Science Kids

Headdress
1. Brown construction paper - Cut strips 1 to 1.5" thick, depending on preference.
2. Staple strips together at one end.
3. Decorate by stamping finger in paint for a beaded look. Then, let it dry.
4. Cut feather shape out of construction paper. Then, draw a line down the center of feather.
5. Cut fringe along the paper feather's edge.
6. Glue feathers along the inside of the top edge of the headband.
7. Fit on child's head, then staple the other two sides together.

Mini Tepee
Click here for instructions!

Miniature Bow and Arrow - Qtips and popsicle sticks
The Brooding Hen

Dream Catcher - Paper plate, lacing craft
Naturally Educational

Story Stones - Draw Native American symbols on stones and tell a unique story!

Traditional Native American Toys and Games
Native Tech - scroll down for traditional toys / games
Games - Native Americans_MrDonn and  UWLAX.edu
Pass the Feather - The one with the feather speaks.

Reading
1. You can find lots of Native American stories on-line for kids. 
Example: Coyote Spills the Stars, click here for a fantastic book list.

2. Another great story is The Raven, which was also featured on Northern Exposure, Christmas episode. Click here to watch the video - awesome performance