Natural Science Lessons for KS1We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This costs the purchaser nothing extra. In this way I can continue to provide free resources. Thank you for your support. |
How to use a study of wildflowers in the KS1 Science curriculum:
Wildflowers afford a pleasurable and meaningful way of drawing children's attention to the wonders of plants, their names and their habitats, especially in the months of May and June when they are at their most abundant. Wildflowers are colourful and are at a low level - the level of children who are much better at spotting these smaller parts of creation than we adults. Not least, they can be used to help children develop a love and appreciation of beauty, as it is beauty that is of great value to the soul and the formation of character, as teachers of old knew well, but we have forgotten in our modern era. By studying wildflowers and impressing upon children that fact that even scientists do not know everything there is to know about them, you can encourage them to take their study seriously. Expect that your class will become mini naturalists. Children will rise to the challenge and will learn beyond your expectations. They are capable of great things. A love of wildflowers now may or may not lead your class into a career in science, but it will give them an understanding of and a love for the natural world and encourage them to take greater care of it and live in harmony with it in years to come. By studying wildflowers, you will cover many parts of the National Curriculum for Science. Your pupils will naturally start to behave as scientists, asking questions gathering data to help them to answer them - all without you having to fabricate lessons to try and make it happen. Identifying and classifying will happen naturally as you discuss the plants you find, where they are found, which others you have found which are similar (e.g. those with trefoil leaves) and so on. Year 1 programme of study: · identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants · identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants Year 2 Programme of study: · identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other · identify and name a variety of plants in their habitats How to study wildflowers: A wildflower hunt in the playground can be a useful starting point (a garden for a parent at home). Here the most common wildflowers will be found: obvious ones such as Dandelion, Daisy and Buttercup, but some of those mentioned here, which are less well known. If possible extend the learning outwards into other accessible areas - park, woodland, local streets, to broaden the range found. Each flower should be examined for:
Over time children should learn that wildflowers, like many other flowers, produce seeds in order to make more of themselves (reproduce). The ways in which the wildflowers do this forms an interesting study of itself. Teaching tips: keep lessons as practicable as possible. Young children do not need to record for the sake of recording and indeed such recording can stifle interest and is more likely to be detrimental to your long term aim of inculcating a love of the natural world. Sketching is a valuable exercise as it develops the powers of observation. Colouring pictures, although despised in classrooms once past the Early Years, is actually a wonderful way of encouraging children to take note of colour and shape and to help them remember the plant in the future. If it is felt that a child would enjoy recording his/her finds, then the recording sheet can be used. The flower head should be sketched paying attention to the number and shape of the petals. The leaf should be sketched, again noting the shape, The stalk should be described: is it round/square, smooth/hairy/prickly, colour? Does it come straight from the root or is their a single stem from which others branch off from it? As you choose your activities, always remember to keep them meaningful. Meaningful practical activities will have far lasting value. Do: encourage children not to pick wild flowers. Some, like daisies and Dandelions it is permissible to do so, and these can be taken back to class and dissected to examine their structure. Most others should be left in place so that they can seed. If they are growing in safe place, children can be taught to sketch them in situ. Photos can be taken for discussion and display back in class.
Extension activities:
April showers bring forth May flowers!
Plants need water, warmth and light to grow. Rain in spring, along with the longer hours of daylight and hopefully more warmth, encourage the flowers to grow. In May you will see that our world is now full of colour - the bare earth from winter has come to life again!
We live in a beautiful world. We can have much pleasure learning as much as we can about it. Today I will tell you a little bit about some of the flowers you might see. They are what we call ‘wild flowers’. That means that they have not been planted by anybody. Wild flowers can be just as pretty as the flowers that we grow in our gardens. You will find them in all sorts of places, like cracks in the pavements, under hedges or along the roadside. Keep your eyes open and see how many you can find. Try and learn the names of as many as you can. Of course, we all know the names of Dandelion and Daisy and buttercup, but there are many that you might not yet know.
Here are some to look for!
Red Clover
This flower is easy to find. Sometimes the flowers are large and other times small. The Red Clover belongs to the pea family. The leaves of the plant are ‘Trefoils’; that means that they grow in groups of three. Count them when you find some. One 'flower' is actually about thirty or fourty flowers growing, crowded together at the end of the stalk. If you pull one tiny flower out and examine it, you will find that it is just like those of others in the pea family. If you want to know what pea flowers are like then you could grow some sweet peas - or even vegetable peas!
Ribwort Plaintain
This is another easy to find wild flower. In the past, children used to play a game called ’soldiers’ with it: you pick a stout plantain head each and then try to strike off the head of your friend’s plantain with it. If you fail, your friend has a turn to try and strike the head off of yours. Look at the ribs running up the leaves.
The narrow pointed leaves grow in a circle straight from the root. They are dark green on the top and silvery underneath. They have long ribs, running from top to bottom. The ribs are where the plant gets its name from - Ribwort. You will often find it growing amongst grass - especially on rough areas of ground. The flowers are closely crowded together in cone-shaped heads. When teh flowers are fully out you see a big cluster of little yellow dots on stalks coming out of the flower. Dog Violet
The Dog Violet begins to flower early in the summer. They grow in gardens, on banks and under hedges. They grow out of cracks in the ground. Each flower has five petals. Four petals are about the same size, and one hangs down at the front like an arrow pointing downwards. They are ever so pretty. There are plenty to be seen now. Although very small, if you look carefully you will see how the leaves of these plants are rolled when they first appear. When they open, they are heart-shaped with toothed edges. The stalks are so short so this plant grows very close to the ground.
Scarlet Pimpernel
We do not have many bright red wild flowers so this one should be easy to spot growing by the wayside, or in fields. It blooms in summer and through to the autumn.
The flower have five small petals that join together around the centre like a wheel. In the centre is the seed vessel. Around the seeed vessel are five yellow-headed stamens. The slender stalks of the stamens are covered with hairs, as are the petals. This flower shuts up its petals when bad weather is coming. It has small, oval leaves with a point. The stalk is square and is not very strong, so this plant straggles along the ground. Red Campion
The Red Campion likes a damp place to grow, so look along by a stream or in a ditch or a shady place. It is deeper red/pinkier colour than the Scarlet Pimpernel. The flowers usually grow in pairs at the end of the pinky stalks which branch from the main stem. Each flower has five heart-shaped petals. The stem is red and sticky. See how the leaves grow in pairs, opposite each other near to the stem. If you crush the leaves, you will find that they give out a strong scent. There is also a White Campion which is almost the same, except the flowers are white.
Wood Sorrel
Wood Sorrel likes to grow in more shady places, like woods, hence the name. There is one flower on each pinky stalk. Each large flower has five white petals, slightly tinged with pink. These petals are covered with fine veins and when the sun shines they open out nearly flat.
Look closele into the centre of the flower. You will see the yellow stamens: five are long and five are short. The leaves of the Wood Sorrel are divided into three leaflets and look rather like the leaf of the clover plant, only they are larger. The leaflets are heart-shaped and are like un-opened umbrellas before they open! See how the leaves and stalks all come out from the base of the plant. Things to do
Why not start a wildflower chart?
All you need to do is to draw up a chart like the one below and each week draw the wild flowers that you find. You could do one for each month and pin them up in your house. Next year you can have great fun looking to see if you see the same flowers each month, or if some appear earlier or later.
Download our FREE Pack with flowers to colour and a chart that you can either pin up in class or at home, or laminate to make a place mat to help make mealtimes educational.
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Welcome Hello, I am Lilibette (B.Ed Hons Early Years, Studies in the Environment Specialism Course), here to encourage the next generation to love the natural world, and thereby learn the necessary skills and knowledge to look after it in the years ahead. Read more... Categories
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