186 Plants: Supplemental Guide CA | Culminating Activities
Stem Activity
Materials: two plastic cups; water; red and blue food coloring; 2
carnations or celery stalks
Fill two cups with water. Then put red food coloring in one cup and blue
food coloring in another cup. Put a freshly cut carnation or a stalk of
celery in each cup. Use this to demonstrate to students how water moves
up through the stem of the plant over the course of two days. Have
students talk about what happens to the flower or stalk of celery. Explain
to students that the celery or flower changed color because the stem of
the plant moved the colored water through the stem of the plant all the
way to the top. As a result, the dye changed the color of the plant.Grow a Potato Plant
Materials: Potato that is starting to sprout eyes; glass of water;
toothpicks; potting soil; container
Tell students that the potatoes we eat are used to store nutrients by the
potato plant. Explain that you can grow a potato plant from a potato.
Place the sprouted end of the potato into a glass of water, supported by
toothpicks so that the potato is resting in the water. Place the supported
potato in a full glass of water on a warm, sunny windowsill. Make sure the
glass stays full of water.
The class can watch the potato sprout roots and grow leaves. Once the
potato has sprouted leaves, you may wish to transfer the plant into a
container filled with potting soil.Edible Plant Parts Collage
Materials: Baby carrots, celery, spinach, strawberries, sunflower
seeds; paper
Tell students that they will be using these yummy foods to create an
edible plant on their paper. Have students place three baby carrots at
the bottom of the paper as the roots. The students should then place the
celery as the stem, the spinach as the leaves, and the sunflower seeds
as the seeds in the center of the strawberries. Have students talk about
each plant part and what it does to help the plant survive before enjoying
their creation.
Note: Be sure to follow your school’s policy regarding food distribution
and allergies.