Exploring “Do Plants Really Move?”

Part of the "Garden Safari" Collection

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Goal

Students will listen to a poem comparing plant parts and growth cycles.

Estimated Time

30 Minutes

Setting Required

Inside

Standards

  • SKL1b. Students will develop a mode to represent how a set of living and non-living objects are sorted into groups based on their attributes.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.E Students will use the most frequently occurring prepositions.

Materials

Procedures

  1. Ask students do plants really move and react to their environment. Remind students that the speed may be different than the movement or reactions of animals but ask them to try to think of evidence of plants moving and reacting.
  2. Read aloud the Plants Move poem and act out how plants move. Plants grow up looking for light. (Stretch hands towards the sky)
    Examples
    Plants that are shaded grow their stems in the direction of light.
    Most plants turn their flowers to face the sun as it moves through the sky.
    Seeds and bulbs that are planted upside down sense which direction is up. Plants grow out for things to climb. (Reach hands out grasping to climb)
    Examples
    Vines reach out for external objects to use as supports and close their tendrils around those objects to climb. Looking for water, plant roots grow down. (Wiggle toes into the floor)
    Examples
    Plant roots grow deeper when there is no water at upper levels of soil.
    And sometimes plants have to grow around. (Wrap arms around in front)
    Examples
    Tree bark grows around fence wire and other injuries caused by objects touching or tied around trees.
  3. Watch this video of time-lapse captures of plants growing up, down, out, and around to get their plant needs: https://youtu.be/Vbzgv5iKEyY
  4. Grow sunflowers or sugar snap peas to watch plants grow up towards the sun and out towards support. See Growing Sunflowers or Growing Sugar Snap Peas for more.