The World of Plants: 5 Easy, Hands-On Activities to Learn About Science

Plants are an important source of life in our world. They clean our air, they provide us with food, and they cool us in their shade. Around the world, people have found joy and peace in tending gardens and planting flowers. Learning about what makes plants grow and thrive is a constant process that many people take a lifetime to perfect.

The joys of learning can be given to your children when you teach them about plants using a hands-on process rather than from a textbook. When life and learning go hand-in-hand, children will continue to learn long into adulthood. These five activities can be done as part of your lifestyle or as a short unit study with your children.

Plant a vegetable garden together.
In the springtime, my children are right beside me, playing in the dirt and finding worms while I plant my flowers and prepare my vegetable garden. As they have grown older, I give them more to do to help. This has become our springtime routine so that from very young ages they have understood where plants come from and what seeds are for.

The book Square Foot Gardening is a great resource on gardening and vegetables. It contains information for beginners and experts alike, including charts on what plants to do each part of the year. I love this book and have followed this simple gardening method for years.

Sprout seeds found in the kitchen.
Collect several glass or clear plastic containers and fill them full of water and cotton balls. In the containers, plant popcorn kernels, beans, whole grain barley, fennel seed, or whatever whole foods you have in your pantry. You could even pick a few apple seeds out of an apple.

In several days, these seeds will sprout. You can see both the new seedling and its roots. If you would like to take this experiment further, you can transplant the seedlings into a larger glass full of rocks and water. The rocks will give the plants support as they grow.

Explore the parts of a seed and the parts of a flower.
Soak some beans in some water and set them on the counter for a day. The next day, peel off the outer layer of the bean, and pull the bean apart. Inside, you will see seedling curled up inside the bean. It has not yet received the right conditions to grow, but it is still there, lying dormant.

You can also take apart flowers. If you open them up carefully, you can inspect the pistil and the stamens. The best part is the seed pod, which may or may not be pollinated. My morning glories were excellent for this project. The seed pod was just the right size to inspect. When the seeds were pollinated, they were black. Otherwise, they were white. You can follow this up with an age-appropriate library book on the parts of plants and the lifecycle of seeds.

Make paint out of flowers.
Paint construction paper by crushing grass and different colored flowers against the paper with a rock. Cut out interesting shapes from the colored paper, like butterflies or stars. Then hang the shapes as a mobile. After doing this project, discuss and read about chlorophyll, the green pigment in plants, and how plants use chlorophyll to photosynthesize, which is the process of turning sunlight into energy.

This idea as well as many others comes from Janice VanCleave’s Play and Find Out about Nature, a book of easy science experiments for young children. Although the experiments are simple and easy for young children to understand, older children can enjoy them too.

Take a nature hike.
Bring field guides for trees and flowers to your local arboretum. Look up the trees and flowers you find to learn how to identify plants by type. You can start a nature journal by collecting samples, drawing pictures, and writing descriptions about what you see.

Electricity & Magnetism

In honor of our week and a half without electricity, I am writing about this really great book that describes electricity, how it works, how to create it, and how it travels through our neighborhoods and homes. Being without power, gave us the opportunity to review our lessons on electricity and magnetism when four-year-old R was quite confused and angry when the lights and TV did not work.

A few months ago, I read Switch On, Switch Off by Melvin Berger as part of our study on electricity and magnetism, and I learned a few things about electricity myself. I knew how that breaking a circuit ended the flow of electricity, but what I did not know was how the electricity was created in the first place. This science story book shows how magnets are used to move the electrons inside the circuit, and this is how electricity is created. A power plant uses large magnets to generate power, and we can do this on a small scale with a small wire and a hand-held magnet.

For Christmas last year, we got a magnet kit, which we have used all year. The kit comes with different shaped magnets and other tools with a long list of experiments. Janice VanCleave writes a full illustrated book just on magnet experiments that can be used with children from age 4 and up. We also read What makes a Magnet? by Franklyn M. Branley, an illustrated story book that explains why magnets work.

There are also electricity expermient kits and a Janice Van Cleave book on electricity, but what I think fascinated me the most was the electromagnetic experiments. One experiment in particular interested me. You will need a battery, a strip of tin foil, a circuit wire, and a strong, horseshoe magnet. Then follow these steps:

CAUTION: For safety reasons, all electrical experiments should be performed with a battery rather than an electrical outlet. A battery will provide only a small amount of electricity. Also, all experiments should be performed with an adult.

1. Connect the wire and the tin foil together.

2. Close the circuit by adding the battery.

3. Put the horseshoe magnet over the tin foil strip.

Results: The tin foil will bend in response to the magnet reacting to the electricity passing through the tin foil.

the world of insects

"Hello there, stomach-foot!"

I hated science as a kid when it was about a boring test book and a list of terms that I needed to memorize for a test. "In 1736, so-and-so discovered such-and-such and called it a thingamajig..." Science wasn't about exploring; it was about passing the test.

And now I love science. Hands-on learning makes a difference. Who wants to read about insects when you can chase them, catch them, keep them as pets, and name them? And when you watch a snail squirm in your hand, learning the fascination facts about it seems so much more pertinent to life. Did you know that snails and slugs are called a gastropods, which means "stomach foot?" At rest, slugs look like nothing more than a ball of snot, but when they move, they suddenly form distinct heads with antennae that can change size, stomachs, and tails.

Grossed out yet? Or are you fascinated?

Pet Bugs

This summer, bugs have been our science focus, and thus we have attempted to set up some bug houses, butterfly houses, and capture some bugs to be pets. We checked out some good books and found a few tools like a butterfly net, a butterfly house, and a plastic terrarium. Then we went exploring in our own back yard.

We found a caterpillar and identified it as a Black Swallowtail, and we put it in our terrarium with some fresh leaves and wooden branches. Within two days, it formed a chrysalis. I started taking pictures every few days, and we kept track of what happened every day.

That is, until I found a wooly bear caterpillar and added it to the bug house. We were very disappointed when the new caterpillar ate the chrysalis before the butterfly emerged. I guess the leaves were not fresh enough, and the little caterpillar got hungry. However, that is the cool thing about hands-on science. Even when an experiment goes awry, you still learn something.

M carries slugs and snails, and R and K search under bricks for pill bugs. R finds worms, and in her gentle four-year old voice, she tells me how cute her baby worm is. They are exploring, and they are learning. And when I wonder if I do enough with their schooling, M tells her grandmother interesting bug facts that most children don't know, listing all the different names of pill bugs, how many legs they have, and what they do to survive.

Pet Bugs and More Pet Bugs by Sally Kneidel
These two books contain information on finding, keeping, and caring for specific kinds of bugs as well as information on the bugs behavior in the wild. Each bug is given several pages of detailed information. Therefore, these two books would make great field guides as well as being a pet guide.

The Insect Book by Connie Zakowski
Designed specifically for younger children, this book focuses on caring for a pet bug. Therefore, one page is given to each bug, giving precise and easy information for finding and feeding the bugs.

Insect Resources
Bugs are Insects by Anne Rockwell
This is a picture story book, and although it is designed for young children, it contains so much information about insects that I was so impressed and learned so much. Beautiful art, well worded and interesting prose, and it kept my 5 year old entranced. A year later, she still remembers the differences between bugs and beetles.

Wormology by Michael Elsohn Ross

Sometimes, our girls call worms "snakes," and I got this book with the intention of helping them learn the difference. This book does more than tell you how to keep worms as pets; it also describes experiments that you can do with them.

Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out About Bugs by Janice VanCleave
This is an entire book of hands-on bug experiments designed for young children, ages 4 to 7. As with anything Janice VanCleave produces, the experiments are very exciting and original. I have found that you can't find the science experiments she suggests in any other book.

Janice VanCleave's Insects and Spiders by Janice VanCleave
This is a more advanced book of hands-on experiments for older children. Many of these experiments could be used in science fairs.

Eyewitness: Butterfly and Moth video on DVD
We had a lot of fun with different kinds of bugs, but butterflies and moths took the starring role. My girls requested to watch this video daily, completely fascinated by the amount of information they received. Eyewitness does a great job combining history, art, science, and mythology in this video.

From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
This book is the story of the life stages of a butterfly. Written as a simple narrative for young children, this book introduces science learning in a very easy to understand manner, using a story to teach science.

Insect Literature & Art
Studying insects spilled over into other areas of our learning, including literature and art. We have done more butterfly, ladybug, and other bug projects than I can even remember, including puppets, cutouts, drawings, mosaics, and paintings. And we have read Eric Carle's story books, bringing to life the worlds of bugs while still teaching something interesting.

Insects: Step by Step Instructions for 26 Creepy Crawlies by Diana Fisher
I discovered this book by accident while browsing a book store, and I am so glad I did. Designed for ages 6 and up, this book details careful instructions on drawing insects. I love the resulting pictures that my oldest daughter produced.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
This popular story book depicts caterpillars as they truly are: very hungry. My girls laugh at all the things the caterpillar eats as he prepares to make his chrysalis.

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
I never thought of ladybugs as grumpy, but this one sure is. He challenges everybody in order to prove that he is the strongest, but in the end, he decides that he would rather just eat his aphids in peace.

The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White
What list of literature books about bugs would be complete without Charlotte's Web? I loved this book as a kid, and children today are still entranced by the barnyard story.

Unit Study on Birds

Sometimes I wonder if I am doing enough. It is hard to keep everything balanced between the different subjects. I do not have a curriculum like many other homeschoolers. We really could not afford one. I use my imagination and the library. We have a science curriculum and math workbooks. Everything else is resources that I found useful.

So I worry about holes in my plan. And it often seems as though I lose track of something. Like it has been a long time since we did science, although we did lots of writing and math. And other times, it seems like weeks since we pulled out our math workbooks. Now that is not to say we were not doing math as I used my own creativity to teach M adding and both M & R the concept of odds and evens.

On top of that, I am a working mom. A working mom who is about to lose her job to outsourcing. So I have been investing extra time in writing and in art, hoping to find a lucrative way to work from home. Can I find a way for my hobbies to bring in an income? Will it be big enough to support the family?

Then something happens like it did last night: my husband TJ pulled out one of our library books. TJ has taken over science lately, and he had decided to do a unit study on birds. So we all sat down on M's bedroom floor (well, K was already asleep), and we began to look at the pictures of different kinds of birds. The books were organized by category (wading birds, predator birds, large birds, flightless birds, etc.)

Now M has a crazy imagination, and she frequently makes up stories about animals that don't exist. Like hole hogs. Hole hogs are imaginary animals that have tales like beavers, antlers like a deer, and big ears like a rabbit. They are as big as bears and they build large underground dens. I went through weeks and weeks of detailed descriptions of hole hogs and all that they do, including how they take care of their babies, how they build their houses, and how they trapped snakes to eat them.

So when we began the unit study on birds, we started by tossing bird seed out by our back door. The winter birds flocked to our yard, and the girls got to watch them all day long. Then my husband got at least 25 books from the library, everything from field guides to story books. With the new topic of birds, M started making up a story about a "sweet sweet" bird that has fur instead of feathers. We were frustrated because she refused to accept facts over her imaginary world. How do you teach a child that all birds have certain characteristics (feathers, wings, beaks, etc.) when they make up an imaginary animal to defy all logic?

The book that TJ picked up last night was called DK Guide to Birds. And when we opened the book, M started telling me about a bird that does not have wings. (OK, here we go again!) Well, actually, there is a bird that does not have wings, and in fact, it has fur instead of feathers too. It is called the kiwi bird.

Surprise! Surprise! These bird books have sat in M's room for several weeks, and it looks like she has actually been reading them! She started flipping through the books, telling us about the different birds. We noticed a blue-footed boobie, which is a grey and white bird with bright blue feet. TJ said, "Look at this bird. He has funny blue feet!" M said, "Oh yes, he waves them at his mate to say hello." Sure enough, that is exactly what the text says.

We talked about partner birds, parasite birds, predator birds, extinct birds, endangered birds, big birds, little birds, flightless birds, and strange birds. M had so many questions, usually centered around the word "why." She was particularly moved by the extinct and endangered birds, and I had to explain why seabirds were harmed by oil spills. Of course, I also had to explain what oil spills were.

So after we left her at bedtime, she sat on her bed looking through the books. She has become so familiar with the books that she knows what books have which information, and which pages to go to in order to find what she is looking for. Her knowledge of birds has far exceded mine.

Some of the books she enjoyed most:

Birds

DK Guide to Birds

You Can't Lay an Egg If You're an Elephant

About Birds

Falcons Nest on Skyscrapers

I especially liked the Falcons Nest on Skyscrapers book because it is more story oriented. The book explains why falcons are endangered and what pains have been taken to restore the falcon population. Then it tracks two falcons who build a nest on the windowsill of a skyscraper. The office employees get to watch the two falcons raise their young through the glass.

Classifying Animals

For science, we had a first grade science book that covered such topics as plants, animals, bugs, seasons, weather, simple machines, and space. Each topic came with a worksheet or two and a few ideas to expand the lessons. So each topic could possibly take about a week or two.

However, we are doing more of an unschooling approach, and I only used this curriculum as a jump board to dig more deeply into a topic. I liked the worksheets, and so did the girls. So, to supplement, I used a lot of ideas from the Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out series, which contains activities for ages 4 to 7 (although my 3 year old enjoyed the activities too).

When we got to the part on animals, my 1st grade science curriculum taught how to identify mammals, and that was about it. So I found these wonderful science story books that describe each animal group. The books are easy for a young child to read and understand, pinpointing the specific physical characteristics that identify an animal as being part of a specific group. For example, the book on amphibians describes the cool, moist skin and the stages of life as well as several other aspects that all amphibians share.

We would read one of the books, and then I would follow that up with a poster board project. I bought a used school book from Half-Price Books that contains tons of real life pictures of animals. We would cut out the pictures from whichever animal group that we were working on and paste them on our poster board. Then I would write some comments like "baby amphibians breathe under water with gills" and "adult amphibians breathe air with their lungs" and "amphibians have cool, moist skin."

Added to this activity, we raised tadpoles last summer, and we got to watch as one slowly lost his tail and eventually jumped out of the water. R used to carry around imaginary baby puppies, and she would say that her imaginary puppies were so little that they did not have their legs yet.

We also raised some crawdads, and it was cool to see when one of them shed his skin. Before shedding his skin, Houdini (he kept trying to escape) had only one claw as the other was broken, and one of his antennae was also broken. After molting, both the claw and the antennae were restored but were just a little smaller.

We also captured a caterpillar, watched it grow and make its cocoon, and we kept a bug house for crickets . With all of these hands on activities to supplement the science curriculum, the girls really learned a lot about different types of animals.

One day, M made the comment that turtles are reptiles, and my husband TJ (a science major in college, by the way) was not so sure, thinking that they might be amphibians. Nope, they are reptiles as they lay their eggs in the sand and the babies hatch fully formed, and they have scaly skin rather than cool, moist skin.