School Visit Presentations by Age

Presentations Options
 
Read the “The Great Garden Party.” Utilize sections in the book that pertain to all of the following questions/experiments. 

The Bloomers are growing vegetables to eat their own food. What is a vegetable? The fleshy part of a plant that we eat. Show of hands… who likes vegetables? Have the children practice asking questions because that is the first step in the Scientific Method.
 
Age 3 - 4
 
Do you know your vegetables?

1. Identify basket of vegetables.
2. What is the difference between a fruit and a vegetable?

 
Age 4 - 5
 
What are the parts of a plant?

1. What part of the plant are you eating? Show the parts of a plant.
2. Bring in vegetables that are root vegetables, stem, flower, leaf, fruit, and seed vegetables

 
Age 5 - 7
 
Learning the six parts to the scientific method.
Practicing the scientific method.

What is a seed? What are the parts of a seed (show through a picture and a real life example)?

1. Question: Do the same size fruit/veggies have the same size seeds?
2. Hypotheses: Ask the children what they think. Yes or no?
3. Design the experiment: Take two pieces of fruit that are the same size, cut them open and compare the seeds. Use a tomato and an avocado.
4. Observation: Where are the seed/seeds. Which is bigger?
5. Collect date: Measure the seeds.
6. Conclusion: Was their hypothesis correct?

 
Age 7 - 9
 
Learning the six parts to the scientific method.
Practicing the scientific method.

What does a plant need to grow? List the items. How can these things be altered?

1. Question: Do seeds sprout taller with sunlight or without? (This is a leave behind experiment.)
2. Hypothesis: yes, or no?
3. Design the experiment:
   1. Time period two weeks
   2. Bring in a couple cups, some soil and seeds. Fill the cups with soil. Press the seed into it. (Also shows how you plant a seed.)
   3. Water with an appropriate amount. Make sure the children know the seeds have to be watered the same amount every two or three days. (The control variable.)
   4. Put one cup in the closet or other dark place and one on a windowsill until the seeds sprout.
4. Observe: Wait for a week after that. Compare. Which sprout grew taller?
5. Collect data: Measure the different sprouts.
6. Conclusion: Is the result of the experiment what you thought? Is your hypothesis right or wrong? The great thing about science is that it’s okay to be wrong!!!

 
Other options:
 
Will seeds sprout better with:

1. Salt water or fresh water
2. Soil or no soil
3. Fertilizer or no fertilizer
4. A large amount of water or a very small amount of water
5. Strong sunlight or indirect sunlight
6. Inside or outside
7. In soil or in sand
8. In a cold environment (like a refrigerator) or in a hot environment
9. Playing music for a plant or complete quiet