This month we are investigating important botany basics by studying plant parts. Take a look around your yard or a nearby green space and you will most likely notice a great diversity of plants. From tall trees with woody stems to the soft, creeping grass along the ground, plants can be found in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Despite their differences in appearance, plants share a common set of parts. Learning about how the different parts function is essential to exploring plant growth and development. This foundational knowledge also contributes to our understanding how to care for the plants in our gardens and environment.

Week 1: Roots

Learning Objectives

This week kids will:
    •    Learn about the function and structure of roots
    •    Investigate the water-absorbing capabilities of roots
    •    Explore plant roots we eat

Download Week 1 Materials
    •    Plant Parts Week 1 complete packet

Week 1 Contents
    •    Introduction, Activities, Digging Deeper
    •    Root for Roots Reading Page
    •    Watering Experiment Observation Worksheet
    •    Root Observation Worksheet
    •    My Vegetable Cooking Guide

Week 2: Stems

Learning Objectives

This week kids will:
    •    Learn about the functions of stems
    •    Compare the two main types of internal stem structures
    •    Explore different stem adaptations

Download Week 2 Materials
    •    Plant Parts Week 2 complete packet

Week 2 Contents
    •    Introduction, Activities, Digging Deeper
    •    Sensational Stems Reading Page
    •    Stems in Action Worksheet
    •    Stem Cross Section Worksheet
    •    Tree Cross Section Worksheet
    •    Stem Scavenger Hunt

Week 3: Leaves

Learning Objectives

This week kids will explore the questions:
    •    What is photosynthesis and why is it so important?
    •    Why do leaves change color in the fall? What other ways do leaf adaptations help plants to survive in their environment?
    •    How can the characteristics of leaves help us identify plants?

Download Week 3 Materials
    •    Plant Parts Week 3 complete packet

Week 3 Contents
    •    Introduction, Activities, and Digging Deeper
    •    Leaves Support Life Reading Page
    •    Common Leaf Characteristics
    •    Leaf Comparison Worksheet
    •    Leaf Characteristics Data Collection Worksheet
    •    Wheres The Plant Worksheet

Week 4: Sporangia, Cones, and Flowers

Learning Objectives
This week kids will explore the different parts of plants whose purpose it is to help them make new plants through seeds and spores including:
    •    Sporangia: Plants like ferns and horsetail make new plants by producing spores in parts called sporangia.
    •    Cones: Found on plants like pine trees, cycads, and ginkgo trees, cones are structures that contain pollen and seeds.
    •    Flowers: Most of the plants in our world today make their seeds inside flowers, with the seeds surrounded by fruit at maturity.

Download Week 4 Materials
    •    Plant Parts Week 4 complete packet

Week 4 Contents
    •    Introduction, Activities, and Digging Deeper
    •    Making New Plants Reading Page
    •    Parts of a Pine Cone Worksheet
    •    Pine Cone Observation Worksheet
    •    Anatomy of a Flower Coloring Page
    •    Flower Comparison Worksheet

Week 5: Fruits

Learning Objectives

This week kids will:
    •    Learn about the purpose of fruits and how they help with seed dispersal.
    •    Explore the great variations of different types of fruits.
    •    Discover that fruits provide many important vitamins and nutrients we need and that we should
“Eat a Rainbow” every day.

Download Week 5 materials
    •    Plant Parts Week 5 Fruit Complete Packet

Week 5 Content
    •    Fruit: Introduction, Activities, Digging Deeper
    •    What is a Fruit Reading Page
    •    Traveling Fruit Cards
    •    Rainbow Coloring Page

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