FLOWERS

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LEVEL: Elementary

CONCEPT: Biological Science – Plant Parts – Flowers

OBJECTIVE: The student will describe the parts of a flower.

MATERIALS: 1 flower per student, magnifying lenses, one 8x10 piece of contact paper per student, crayons, butcher paper for graphing

BACKGROUND: A flower’s function is to make seeds to reproduce the plant. The flower contains the reproductive parts of a flowering plant. Petals are not just to be pretty; they actually attract birds, bees, and other insects to the flower so that pollination can occur. When pollen from the stamen (male) lands on the stigma (female) a long pollen tube grows down the stalk of the pistil into the ovary.

When ovules inside of the ovary are fertilized by a pollen grain, it then develops into a fruit which protects the seeds.

PROCEDURE:

1. Bring enough flowers to class so that each child can have one. Daisies work well.

2. Have the students study their flower with a hand lens and record their findings. Have them draw their flower. Have them take their flower apart and observe with a hand lens.

3. After they take their flower apart, give them a small piece of contact paper in the shape of a rectangle, let them arrange the flower’s parts into a design on one half of the paper. Fold the half over to make a sandwich. Place in a construction paper frame and display in the window.

4. Make a large wall graph. To post results on the graph, use a flower pattern or die cut flower to stick on the chart. Use the information gathered about the number of petals.

5. On another day, ask the children to bring flowers from home. Describe and compare the flowers that come in. Make a graph of the colors or let the students vote on their favorite color of flower.

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES:

1. Do a study on bees. Discuss how flowers attract bees. Explain how bees carry pollen to other flowers and what bees do with the pollen.

2. Use flowers as models for art work. Students can do their favorite flower in watercolor, crayon resist, chalk, torn construction paper, or a tissue paper collage.

3. Write two word poetry about flowers:

My flower,

Looks soft,

Smells sweet,

Grows tall,

Tickles me.

4. Complete the sentence: Flowers are like ___________________.

Illustrate and display.

5. Brainstorm all the words that begin with the letter F to describe

flowers.

TECHNOLOGY: Have students draw flowers in paint program and make graphs in Excel.

Adapted from 1990 AIMS Education Foundation