Week 6 Day 4

Book choices for today:

Taking Root   Allan Fowler
Roots   Patricia Whitehouse
Roots Vijaya Bodach
What do Roots Do Kathleen Kudlinski
Muscles   Seymour Simon

Botany: (first circle)

Need for lesson – A plant which shows the roots, stem, leaves, and flower or a picture of one, Kinds of Roots and Parts of a Root

Botany 8

Let’s look at this plant and name all of its parts. We can see the roots, stem, leaves, and this plant has a flower. Each of these parts has an important job that keeps the plant healthy and helps it to grow. We are going to talk about each one starting with the roots today. Which way do the roots grow? They grow down out of the seed. The soil or dirt where a plant is growing contains minerals and water for the plant. The roots have a very special job to do. The roots soak up the water and the minerals from the soil and sends them to all the other parts of the plant. The water and minerals are very important for the plant to grow and stay healthy. Let’s look at the many different kinds of roots there are. We can then talk about the parts of a root.

Primary Root -This is the largest part of the root, usually located directly below the main stem.
Secondary Roots – These roots are those that branch off the primary root.
Root Caps – These are tiny cells that grow at the tips of roots. They are rounded at the end and help to protect the root tip.
Root Hairs -These are thin, hairlike outgrowths of a root.

Kinds of Roots (MontessoriPrintShop.com)

Additional Works:

Seed Sequence – Children place the cards in the order of the seed growing. I numbered the back for control of error. (homeschoolcreations.com) I like to introduce them with this Botany lesson because they show the roots growing down and the stem growing up etc. I added a seed sequence booklet that the children can color.
Parts of a Plant – I made this work with card stock paper. Children can arrange the plant parts and label them.
Root Puzzle – This picture also shows a root booklet and parts of root card set
Roots Absorb Experiment – Using paper towels, cups, and food coloring prepare some paper towel ‘roots’ to show how they absorb water.

Science: (second circle)

Need for lesson – A picture of muscles and the muscle body part to tape onto the body outline.

Science 13

Today we are going to add muscles to our body outline. What are muscles? Your muscles pull your bones so you can move. They move it like strings move a puppet. You have more than 600 muscles! Muscles work in pairs. You have one to pull your bone forward , and another muscle to pull your bone backward. When one muscle is working it is contracting, while the other muscle is relaxing. Muscles help in other ways too. Your diaphragm muscles help your lungs to breathe. Muscles in your face help you to open and close your eyes. They even help you to smile.