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Download Bring On Spring: Planting Peas - Macomb ISD Science Education
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Resources and conversation on PreK to 2 science Bring On Spring: Planting Peas By Peggy Ashbrook A s the month of February begins, it’s hard to believe that the year is turning to spring! Season’s change may at first seem imperceptible unless we measure its arrival somehow. Young children can plant certain seeds outside (as soon as the soil can be worked) and older primary students can record the time of the sunrise on a chart as ways of measuring the arrival of spring. Students may not be able to understand why the Sun rises earlier every week as the year moves to spring, but they can see that there is a change and also see the change in a sprouting seed. In USDA agricultural zones 6 and 7 (see Activity Resources) peas can be planted on or around President’s Day, February 16 (it helps to have prepared the garden bed ahead of time before winter). With this early start, the plants have time to grow, bloom, set fruit, and the pods have time to grow to eating size before mid-June when many schools close for the summer. Growing peas helps children who grow food at home make a connection between school and home by sharing their experience, and those who have never seen a field of crops make a connection between soil, weather, and food production by growing a trial crop. Learning about growing plants is part of the National Science Education Content Standard C: Life Science. 12 Science and Children For those in other plant hardiness zones, refer to the seed packet and plant either earlier or later than Presidents’ Day, or try planting another early crop, such as radishes. If you do not have outdoor space for planting, smaller varieties of peas may do well in containers. This is the time of year to call seed companies and request a catalog or two to stock in your classroom. An internet search for “seed catalogs” produces a long list of companies. Use the catalogs to show your students that foods of all kinds are grown from seeds, and use the pictures to plan a garden—real or pretend. If you order some seeds, use the photos to make labels for your plants. Even fourth- and fifth-grade students may not know where their food comes from before it gets to the store (Rubenstein et al. 2006). Planting seeds indoors as well as outside allows the students to see the details of a sprouting seed and compare the growth of plants with drastically different amounts of sunlight and nutrition. Planting a seed in dirt or a clear container such as a plastic bag is an experience that students can refer to in later years when studying plant cells and how a root grows. The nutrients in the pea seed’s cotyledon (seed leaves) will nourish the plant for a time but without additional food (minerals provided by soil and food made by the plant using sunlight) pea plants growing indoors will become weak. Try keeping them alive long enough to compare with the seeds students plant outside by providing sunlight and a weak solution of plant fertilizer. n Peggy Ashbrook ([email protected]) is the author of Science Is Simple: Over 250 Activities for Preschoolers and teaches preschool science in Alexandria, Virginia. References National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Rubenstein, H., A.C. Barton, P. Koch, and I.R. Contento. 2006. From garden to table: Rural or urban, two effective strategies that teach students about where food really comes from. Science and Children 43 (6): 30–33. Objectives: To notice and participate in the arrival of spring by planting seeds, observing them sprout, grow, and produce fruit. Materials: • Pea seeds (best are the edible-podded varieties with the shortest time to maturity and needing little support; Avoid the poisonous ornamental sweet peas.) Rinse the seeds in advance to remove any pesticides. • Resealable plastic bags • Paper towels • Stapler • Ruler • Outside garden area or container of potting soil • Digging tools (e.g., soup spoons) Procedure: 1. Talk with the class about any signs of spring they have noticed—earlier sunrise, longer days, occasionally warmer weather, sighting of certain animals, sprouting leaves and buds of spring flowering bulbs, and the flowering of bushes such as forsythia, Japanese quince, and pussy willow. 2. Ask students when it will be time to plant outside— how do we know? Accept all answers, and then refer to the USDA Plant Hardiness Map (see Internet Resource) and say, “Farmers and scientists have been measuring the temperature all over the world every day for many, many years. This map shows zones, or areas, of similar temperature to show where different plants can survive and grow.” Older children can find their location on the zone map. 3. Have the children examine the pea seeds with a magnifier. Some may express surprise that the peas they eat for dinner are also seeds, showing how little they know about how food is grown. 4. Have students soak the seeds in water for several hours, then place them on top of a damp paper towel (folded into fourths) inside a resealable plastic bag—one for the class or one for each child. Using a permanent marker, draw a line across the width of the bag about 10 cm from the bottom, and have the children staple along the line. The staples should be 3–8 mm apart (to prevent the seeds from falling to the bottom but not so tightly that the roots can’t get through to the water that will be at the bottom of the bag). Add 3–5 seeds and enough water to make a small reservoir at the bottom (about 2 cm deep, then tape to a wall to maintain the bag in an upright position). 5. Ask the children, “What will happen to the seed as it begins to grow?” Children’s comments reveal their prior knowledge, from a shrug to “It going to get bigger!” to “It needs dirt,” to the more detailed description, “The root pushes out and grows down.” 6. Daily, have students measure and record any growth of root and sprout with a centimeter ruler or relative measurement, such as “smaller than a pencil point,” and draw what they see. 7. Nutrients stored in the seed’s cotyledon will nourish the plant for a time, but without additional nutrients (minerals provided by soil or fertilizer), and food (made by the plant using sunlight) the pea plants will become weak in about a month. A discussion about the needs of living things may inspire students to try to find out what needs the pea plants are missing. 8. If feasible, at same time peas are placed in bags indoors, have the children also plant peas outside in a garden area or large pot, about one inch deep (for the children, one pinky finger deep). On any day that it is not snowing or raining, have the students water the garden. Compare these plants with the seeds sprouted inside. Children’s interest level will vary as they wait for the seed to sprout, as the plant grows, and when the flowers, then fruits appear. Record when flowers and fruit are first noticed. Celebrate your food production success with a snack of peas, augmented with some purchased from a farmer or grocery store if necessary. Internet Resource U.S. National Arboretum USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone February 2009 13 photograph courtesy of the author Planting Peas and Observing Growth Teacher’s Picks What’s happening at http://blogs.nsta.org/ earlyyearsblog Conference Highlights Have you wondered about the primary level offerings at NSTA Conferences on Science Education? Read about Early Years columnist Peggy Ashbrook’s experiences at the Portland area conference, held in November. Posts include: • Family Science Day Session • Collaboration in science teaching • The Rainbow Preschool Sarah Pounders is an education specialist at the National Gardening Association (www.garden.org/ home) who loves plants and believes every child should garden. Books for Teachers Botany on Your Plate. Katharine D. Barrett, Jennifer M. White and Christine Manoux. 2008. National Sarah Pounders Gardening Association. Although developed for early elementary, this standards-based, life science curriculum provides a lot of good ideas for the preK classroom too. It inspires children to explore plant parts we eat, weaving together science and nutrition. Gardening Wizardry for Kids. L. Patricia Kite and Yvette Santiago Banek. 1995. Barrons Educational Series. Gardening Wizardry is a kid-friendly book that includes colorful histories and folklore of common fruits, vegetables, and herbs, along with indoor growing projects and engaging investigations for you to use. Books for Students Tops and Bottoms. Janet Stevens. 1995. Harcourt, Inc. An entertaining story of an energetic hare outsmarting a lazy bear by knowing the different edible parts of plants, this book teaches children plant parts as you read aloud. Oliver’s Vegetables. Vivian French. 1998. Scholastic. Where do french fries comes from? Your class might have their own ideas. Oliver discovers the answer to this question on a trip to his grandparents’ house. Internet Harvest of the Month www.harvestofthemonth.com Newsletters for educators and families spotlight a different fruit and vegetable each month providing background information, activities, and recipes. KidsGardening www.kidsgardening.org This site provides activity and lesson ideas, horticultural background materials, information about grant and award opportunities, and a monthly e-newsletter. North Carolina State University Poisonous Plants www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/poison.htm It is always important to keep safety in mind. This site provides a comprehensive list of poisonous plants. University of Illinois Extension My First Garden www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/firstgarden This site offers in-depth gardening information at an introductory level for new gardeners, including a dictionary to help you create a planting schedule. 14 Science and Children