Learning about Plants

Spring is here! As the days are getting warmer, what better idea than to spend some time in the garden and learn all about plants? Here are a few fun learning activities you have to try!

A good start is to head out and observe plants. Look at the leaves, stems, flowers and roots. Ask your child questions such as – What do plants need to grow, how do plants get their food, why are leaves green? You can add a few fun worksheets from Loving 2 Learn > science > life science > seeds> plants and trees. (Most worksheets are free from this site)

Grow a plant from seeds.

We experimented with apples, lemons, limes, naartjies(citrus), pecan nuts and acorns. To grow apples, lemons, naartjies or limes: remove seeds from fruit and soak in water for a few days. This softens the seed coat and it will germinate easier. You can also plant your acorn or pecan seeds in waterbeads or on a layer of glass beads. Once your plant has two or three leaves, you can transfer it to a pot.

We planted some of ours in a terrarium (old fish tanks that are cracked at the bottom make excellent terrariums) and others in a pot. Your tree should germinate in 4-6 weeks. Place your pot in a sunny spot and remember to water daily but take care not over water. For our pecan nut, we made a mini “hothouse”out of a colddrink bottle. Do not cover the nut completely and take care not to over water. You should see green shoots in about 8 weeks and the plant will grow out of the top opening of the “hothouse”.

Grow a plant from a bulb.

Garlic is super easy to grow. Simply place the bulb in water and you should see green shoots within a few days. Once you have a fair amount of shoots, you can transfer it to a pot or the garden.

You can have great fu learning about plants with these easy ways! Do you have favorite ways to learn about plants?