The Plant Kingdom: Vital Functions of Plants: Adapting Vital Functions for Ages 6-9

Age
6-9.

Materials
Place the plant stories on the back of the charts. Cut up the experiment cards and have them in a place on the Botany Shelf or near the planting materials. Tell the stories of the charts in your own words. Make the experiments as interesting and exciting as possible. Use other experiments that explain the needs or functions of the parts of the plant.

Preparation
Traditionally, the Vital Functions have plants have been a complex series of exercises for the child the child of 9-12. The lessons are applicable for the child of 8 or 9, however, and it is important for the child of this age to be "captured" at the moment of concern for living organisms. These lessons are traditionally divided into four sections for the older children:

...Charts 1-10: Vegetative Functions ...Experiments: 1 - 14

...Charts 11-14: Functions of Relationship ...Experiments : 15 -18

...Charts 15-17: Preservation of the species, reproduction ...Experiments 19 - 21

...Charts 18-19: Synthesis

These lessons can be made lighter and more applicable to the 6-9 year old child by dividing the lessons as the classified nomenclature into The Plant, The Root, The Stem, The Leaf, The Flowers and the Seeds. Experiments can be done that give the lessons for the needs of the plant, the functions of the root, the stem, the leaf, flowers and seed.

Presentation
Use charts and experiments in this order:

The Plant: Chart 1, Needs of a Plant Experiment #1, respiration of plants Chart 2, The Menu of the Plant Chart 3: From Death to Life: The Nitrogen Cycle The Root: Chart : Water Seekers Experiment 2: Root Hairs Experiment 3: Formation of Roots Experiment 4: Acid Reaction of Root Hairs Experiment 5: Direction of Roots Chart 4: Boulder in the Way Chart 5: Give Drink to the Thirsty The Stem: Chart 7: The Piston and the Pump Experiment 6: Ascent of Liquids Experiment 7: Ascent of Liquids Experiment 7a: Capillary action Experiment 8: Transpiration Chart 8: The plant's need for the sun: aspiration Experiment 9: Water is Necessary to the Plant Leaves: Experiment 10: Demonstration of Chlorophyll in Green Leaves Experiment 11: Demonstration: plants need light Chart 9: The Plant's Need for the Sun Experiment 15: Action of lights on plants Chart 10: The Chemical Laboratory Experiment 12: Formation of Oxygen Experiment 13: Making of Starch Experiment 14: Starch is colored Blue Relationships in the Plant's Environment Experiment 15: Action of lights on Plants Exp. 16: Action of Heat on Plants Exp. 17 : Roots grow downwards: the stem? Exp. 18: Roots are sensitive to water. Plant movement: Chart 11: Movement of Seeds: 5 ways to travel Chart 12: How plants cling Use nomenclature for aerial stems Chart 13: Like the Stakes of a Tent Defense of the Plants: Chart 14: The Defense of Plants Reproduction of the Plant (Study of the Flower, Seeds and Spores) Experiment 19: Plants grown from roots, stems, leaves Chart 15: Alternate Sexual Reproduction: the fern Chart 16: Love Among Plants Nomenclature: the Flowers  Chart 17: "Go, My Child" Nomenclature: Seeds  Experiment: The seed and its parts Experiment 20: How plants grown from seeds develop and are nourished. Experiment 21: Monocot- and Dicotyledon Plants Cosmic Work of Plants: Chart 18: Like Hands that Hold Chart 19: Fountain of Cups