BACKGROUND:
Flowering plants are normally divided into roots,
stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit. It is also useful to discuss buds
(flower, leaf and stem), seeds, trunks and branches. Roots serve to
anchor plants and absorb water and minerals from the soil and some roots
function in food storage. Stems may be found above or below ground and
provide support for the plant and transport fluids. Some stems have been
so specialized for food storage and reproduction that they no longer
look like a normal stem (for example potato tuber, iris rhizome, crocus
or gladiolus corn). They can be distinguished from roots by the presence
of buds and leaf scars. Both stems and roots may have small roots on
them, but only the stems will have buds.
Leaves absorb sunlight and produce the plant's
food through photosynthesis. Flowers are the main reproductive organs,
producing pollen and eggs which unite in the ovary to produce seeds. The
ovary turns into a fruit. Seeds may also be found below ground (peanut).
There is no scientific distinction between a fruit
and a vegetable. To a botanist, a fruit is the plant part produced from
the ovary of a flower; the fertilized eggs develop into seeds. Thus
tomatoes, green peppers, avocados, squash, cucumbers, corn and other
"vegetables" are really fruits. The grains, such as rice,
wheat, barley, and oats, are also considered fruits. It is probably best
just to explain that the way we define plant parts does not correspond
well with the way we usually see the terms "fruit" and
vegetable." If young children can understand that a fruit is a
plant part with seeds, it will be a good start.
PROCEDURE:
- You may want to bring examples
from home for demonstration. Discuss the various parts of a plant (stem,
roots, flowers, bark, and leaves) and their characteristics. Have the
children guess which parts of the plant form the different foods. This
can be done with a worksheet (sample attached) or by breaking the
children up into groups and giving each group one of each of the foods.
They can then come up with a group opinion concerning the answers. The
food can then be placed on a table or area that has been labeled with
the plant parts (for example, a table for all stem foods, one for all
fruits). Another possibility is to draw a large plant on butcher paper
and let them put the food on top on the corresponding plant part.
- Review the following foods and
plant parts
flowers - broccoli, cauliflower
flower buds - artichokes, cloves
stem buds - brussel sprouts
stems - asparagus, kohlrabi, bamboo, potatoes,
sugar cane
whole leaves - spinach, cabbage, lettuce
leaf stalk - celery, rhubarb
roots - carrots, radishes, beets, tapioca,
sugar beets
bark - cinnamon, root beer (bark of the sassafras tree)
seeds - peanuts, nuts, peas, lima beans, nutmeg
cola flavoring (including Coke)
fruits - cucumbers, green beans, squash, tomatoes,
muskmelon, apples, oranges, green pepper
seed pods - snow peas, vanilla
sap - maple syrup
ANSWERS:
Artichoke - flower bud; brussels
sprouts - stem buds; lettuce - whole leaves; carrot - root; asparagus -
stems; cinnamon - bark; nuts - seeds; green pepper - fruit; apple -
fruit; broccoli - flowers
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