Go on a plant hunt with your child. What different plant parts can you find?
15 minutes
Get Ready
Materials you will need:
- Cell phone or iPad camera
- Cardstock paper
- Scissors
- Small plastic sealable bag
- Plant Part Cards PDF
- Optional: Index cards and marker
- Optional: Plant Part Description Cards PDF
- Optional: Hole punch
- Optional: String
- Optional: Printer
Things to do before the activity:
- Print the Plant Part Cards onto cardstock paper, if possible. Cut the cards apart and put them in a sealable plastic bag so you can carry them outdoors. If you do not have a printer, draw plants onto index cards. Include different plant parts and one to six leaves in each plant drawing.
- Print the Plant Part Description Cards onto cardstock paper or draw them onto index cards. Punch a hole in the corner of each card and thread a string through the cards to create a flip-book.
- Talk about different places in your neighborhood where you can find plants. Plants can grow in cracks in the sidewalk or buildings, community gardens, outdoor potted plants, grocery stores, apartment building grounds, and so on.
A character with a speech bubble and rabbit with a thought bubble.
Let's find different plant parts!
How many plants have leaves?
Explore!
Step 1.
Before you go outside, look at the Plant Part Cards together. Describe a plant you have seen. Include plant part names in your description: seed, root, stem, leaves, fruit, flower. Talk about how the plant grows.
- What do plants need to grow?
- Name plant parts that are not shown on the Plant Part Cards. Why do we not see them?
- Talk about places you have seen plants growing in your neighborhood.
Step 2.
Go outside and look for places plants grow. Hunt for plants growing along sidewalks or in parks, gardens, grocery stores, pots, and so on.
- Notice plants that have seeds you can see. For example, acorn nuts hold oak tree seeds, and strawberries have little seed-like bits on their skin that hold strawberry seeds.
- How do seeds help new plants grow?
Step 3.
Pull a Plant Part Card out of the bag. Together name the plant parts you see on the card. Count the number of leaves. Find a real plant with the same number of leaves. Take a photo of plants you find.
- Talk about how each plant part plays a role in helping the plant grow. (See Plant Part Description Cards.)
- What plant parts do you see in each plant?
- Compare the plants. Which have the most (leaves) or more than (two flowers)?
Review!
Count and match plant parts. Compare the Plant Part Cards to the photos you took on your plant hunt.
- Look at one of the plant photos. Count the (flowers) in the photo. Find the card that has the same number of (flowers). Find a card that has more or fewer.
- Count together to find the photo that has the most (leaves).
- What plant part helps the plant stand tall? Point to the stem in each photo.
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