Science – Plants

We started our learning about plants with a crime scene! What had happened? Who was responsible? What should we do?

We investigated roots and whether the size of the root or number of roots makes a difference as to how quickly water is absorbed.

We explored how water travels up the stem.  We put some white Carnations in coloured water.  After a few days, the petals had changed colour slightly.

We explored capillary action in plants using tissue paper and water.  We put water in one cup and observed how it transferred to an empty cup via the tissue paper.  This stopped when there was approximately the same amount of liquid in each cup.

We investigated the different components of a flower using tulips. We peeled off the 3 outer sepals (these look like petals on a tulip as they have adapted over time, in most plants these are green), then removed the 3 petals, before looking at and removing the male and female parts of the flower where the pollen and seeds are made.

Finally, we explored how seeds are dispersed so that new plants can grow. We simulated being a flower dispersing its seeds in different ways. When we looked at how we all landed, we discovered that seeds land on the ground randomly. Consequently, it doesn’t matter which way up they are planted; they will still grow.