Plant Seeds of Learning

Classroom Lessons Bring Plants to Life!

by Gary Hopkins, Education World®

Spring has sprung! It's the perfect time to explore plants in the classroom. This week, we present four new classroom lessons that involve students in growing things and learning about scientific classification, plant cell structure, the importance of plants in our history, and the many uses of plants!

Will your students learn about plants by growing little seedlings in milk cartons on the windowsill, or will they research, plan, and develop an entire schoolyard garden? Whether your students actually dig in the dirt or take a more classroom-oriented approach to learning, a study of plants offers unlimited possibilities for lively hands-on learning!

Three Lesson for Teaching About Plants

1. Eggshell People
   Students turn empty eggshells into eggshell people with grass "hair." Then they measure hair growth and write eggshell people diaries or stories.
    
2. Nuts for Peanuts!
   Peanuts spur all kinds of classroom activities -- from making timelines and snacks to investigating how peanut plants grow and estimating the number of peanuts in a large container!
    
3. T-Shirts to Dye For!
   Students create natural dyes from plants.
    

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