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