We have been discussing and doing experiences in our exploration of ‘matter’ and its properties.

After our trip to the Laity Pumpkin Patch, we did some Mathematical explorations with our picked pumpkins.  These involved the concept of estimations.  I gave the students a baseline to judge by with my pumpkin – i.e. its weight, stem length, circumference. Students then did their own ‘good guesses’ on their pumpkins (in comparison to mine) in regard to:

1. the number of vertical lines
2. the length (in centimetres) of the stem
3. the weight (in kilograms)
4. the circumference (in centimetres)
5. how many seeds are inside

Then students did the actual counting of lines, the weighing, and the measuring of the stem and circumference.  We charted the numbers for each student and determined who had:

1. the heaviest one
2. the lightest one
3. the smallest one (circumference)
4. the largest one (circumference)
5. round shaped pumpkins
6. oval shaped pumpkins

Students then completed their booklets.  These are pinned to a bulletin board in our room.  They look like this …

The pumpkins were sent home on Tuesday.  Once the students have carved their pumpkins at home, they are asked to count the number of seeds inside their pumpkin. They should then write the number in their planner so that they can record it in their booklet.  They are also asked to bring in 6 seeds to glue into their booklets.  This is from a story we read called, ‘Pumpkin, Pumpkin’ about a boy named Jamie who grew a pumpkin and at the end, after carving his Jack O’Lantern, he saved six seeds to plant the following Spring.

Thank you for helping your child do these two final stages to complete their booklets.

Over the course of this school year we have been discussing WANTS and NEEDS in relation to ourselves. We discussed that while you may WANT something that there are actually a few basic NEEDS that are necessary for survival.  For human beings these are: air, water, food, shelter (including clothing), and we added in ‘love’ (families).

Students have also been learning about what a plant NEEDS to survive.  In this experiment we wondered if all of the seeds that a plant produces will grow successfully into a new plant.

After we had set our baggies of bean seeds on the windows we also planted some flower seeds in soil.  We looked at how each plant’s seeds look different from each other.  We have looked at the seeds from: lima beans, green beans, peas, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Zinnias, grass, and Forget-Me-Nots.  We noticed that all of the seeds have different shapes, sizes, and colours.

The seeds from the Forget-Me-Not flower are shaped long and thin; they are also very tiny.  Students had a difficult time picking them up off the paper towel!  They were very different from the size and shape of the peas or beans.

Each student placed several Forget-Me-Not seeds in their flower pot.  All students’ pots have successfully grown some of these plants; some pots have more seeds growing in them than others.

Students will be bringing their flower pots home on Thursday.  Please ensure that they keep them watered.  They are planted in biodegradable flower pots that you can plant into a larger pot (in soil) or directly into the ground in your garden.  They should develop with a beautiful blue flower when they are fully mature.  Enjoy!!

As we had planted beans in baggies we decided to also grow some in soil.  We planted some peas, as well.  These have recently begun to sprout.

Over the course of this school year we have been discussing WANTS and NEEDS in relation to ourselves. We discussed that while you may WANT something that there are actually a few basic NEEDS that are necessary for survival.  For human beings these are: air, water, food, shelter (including clothing), and we added in ‘love’ (families).

Students have also been learning about what a plant NEEDS to survive.  In this experiment we wondered if all of the seeds that a plant produces will grow successfully into a new plant.  Ziplock baggies were prepared with dampened paper towels and bean seeds.  These were placed on the windows to ensure that they received a fair bit of sunlight. Students followed the progress of their individual baggie by charting the changes.

Each baggie had four bean seeds in it.  A fair number of these seeds developed with a natural progression: roots came out of the seed and went down to the bottom of the baggie; the shoot pushed upwards; leaves developed; and then flowers appeared.

While some seeds followed this development students noticed that the majority of the seeds did not follow this growth cycle.  Many turned black with mold; while some just went brown and mushy-looking.

Students learned that plants produce a huge number of seeds because not all of them will be successful in reaching maturity.  In order for a plant species to thrive it needs to give itself a good chance by making a lot of seeds.

Over the course of this school year we have been discussing WANTS and NEEDS in relation to ourselves. We discussed that while you may WANT something that there are actually a few basic NEEDS that are necessary for survival.  For human beings these are: air, water, food, shelter (including clothing), and we added in ‘love’ (families).

Students have also been learning about what a plant NEEDS to survive.  In this experiment we wondered if all plants need soil in which to grow.  We took a sea sponge and put it into a plastic container.  We soaked it with water, and ensured that there was always water in the bowl to keep it wet.  Grass seeds were sprinkled over the sponge.  You can see the result …

So while we usually think of plants needing soil – and a great many of them do need soil – clearly not ALL plants do. We also tried this experiment with grass seeds on a pine cone.  While some grass grew in the bottom of that container (in the water) none grew on the actual pine cone.  Perhaps it wasn’t kept wet enough …

Over the course of this school year we have been discussing WANTS and NEEDS in relation to ourselves. We discussed that while you may WANT something that there are actually a few basic NEEDS that are necessary for survival.  For human beings these are: air, water, food, shelter (including clothing), and we added in ‘love’ (families).

Students have also been learning about what a plant NEEDS to survive.  In this experiment we took two identical plants and gave them the same soil, air, and water. We denied one of these plants sunlight.  You can see what happened …

The plant on the right has a flower in bloom, nice green leaves, and is growing nicely. The one on the left is showing signs of fading.  It hasn’t grown in height and it is a much paler green colour.  Students learned that a plant needs sunlight to grow to its potential.

Over the course of this school year we have been discussing WANTS and NEEDS in relation to ourselves. We discussed that while you may WANT something that there are actually a few basic NEEDS that are necessary for survival.  For human beings these are: air, water, food, shelter (including clothing), and we added in ‘love’.

Students have also been learning about what a plant NEEDS to survive.  In this experiment we took two identical plants and gave them the same soil, air, and sunlight. We denied one of these plants water.  You can see what happened …

Students learned, that like human beings, plants will not survive without water.

As part of our plant unit we have been doing a series of experiments to demonstrate the ‘jobs’ that each part of the plant has in the healthy growth of the whole plant.  This experiment showed the role of the ‘stem’.

We put a stalk of celery and a white flower into a jar with blue food-coloured water.  The next day we noticed quite the difference! Students learned that the job of the stem is to suck the water up from the roots to share it with the rest of the plant. The addition of the blue food colouring showed that this process took place in our experiment.