Plants – Kids
Plants give us food, medicine, clothes, clean air, beauty and more.
Plants need five things to grow:
- Sunshine
- Water
- Soil with nutrients
- Space to grow
- Air
Activities
Activity 1 - Make Your Own Nature Mandala
Activity 2 - Transpiration Experiment
Did you know that water moves up the stem of the plant to the leaves and the flowers?
This process is called transpiration. You can do the experiment below to see transpiration happen!
You Will Need:
- White flowers (carnations are a good choice)
- Food colouring (natural food colours do not work well in this experiment)
- Water
- Small jars or vases
Experiment:
1) Have an adult trim the bottom of the stem of the flower.
2) Fill the vase or jar with water and add some food colouring of your choice.
3) Put your flower in the water and wait.
4) After a few hours, you will see your flower change colour!
Activity 3 - Grow a Bean Plant
You will need: a glass jar, lima, kidney, navy or pinto bean, cloth napkin, spray bottle.
STEP 1 – Swirl some water around in your jar, then tip it out. Don’t dry your jar as your bean seed needs a little water to grow.
STEP 2 – Roll up a slightly damp cloth napkin and put it inside the jar. Place your bean seed in the jar resting against the napkin.
STEP 3 – Put your jar on a windowsill so your bean seed will get plenty of light. Spray a little water on your bean seed every day.
STEP 4 – After a few days your bean seed should start to sprout.
STEP 5 – After about ten days your bean seed should have grown a stem and some leaves. Take your plant out of the jar and plant it in a pot with some soil or plant it outside if the weather is warm and sunny.
Activity 4 - Leaf and Flower Prints
The colours from plants provided human beings with some of the earliest dyes for artwork and clothes.
What you will need:
- fresh flowers and leaves from outside
- rubber mallet/hammer
- white cotton fabric (washed if it’s new)
- wax paper
- newspaper
STEP 1 — Choose a workspace that can be safely pounded with your mallet. Cover your workspace with a thick layer of newspaper. Then place the wax paper over the newspaper, and lay your white fabric on top of the wax paper.
STEP 2 — Cut the flowers from stems leaving a little bit of stem. Arrange your flowers and leaves on the white fabric. Lay a piece of wax paper over your arrangement.
STEP 3 — Hammer the flowers and leaves through the wax paper to transfer the colours from your flowers and leaves onto your fabric.
STEP 4 — Remove the wax paper and check your design. Add more flowers and leaves and continue the process until you are happy with your results.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO BECOME AN EARTH PROTECTOR!
Plant a wildflower garden for the bees! Plant the garden in your back yard, at your school, or ask permission if you can plant a garden at a local park or green space. (If space is limited you can use a large tub or window box.) Make sure you plant wildflowers that are native to your area!
- Prepare the area in the spring and plant wildflower seeds that are best for the type of soil, your region and sun exposure.
- Don’t forget to water when the area looks dry and water until established.
- Watch your wildflowers grow and enjoy your creation!
- Can you estimate how many bees are visiting your wildflower garden?