Second Grade Garden Lesson 4 - Parts of a Flower

This week we discussed all the parts of a flower.

Goals:

One goal was for the kids to have an introduction to the vocabulary.
The other goal was for the kids to realize that there are a lot of parts that make up a flower.
 

Lesson:

We discussed the following diagram:

• Stamen is the male part of the plant
• Pistil is the female part of the plant
• Stamen has 2 parts – the anthers have the pollen on it.  And they are held up by the filament.
• Pistil has 3 parts.  The stigma is the sticky surface that the pollen sticks to.  The style holds up the stigma and the ovary which contains the ovules.  This is where the seed will form once a flower is pollinated.
• The sepals protect the developing bud. 

Activities:

Table 1

At one table, we had a blank flower and the kids had to try to remember the different flower parts.

Table 2

Here the kids played bingo so that they had practice just hearing the flower part names over and over again.  Sample bingo card:

Garden

We discussed how our plants were growing.  Each time the kids make observations about the garden and we discuss them.  We also looked at flowers in the garden area to see how many different parts they have.

Bingo cards and Flower worksheet are in the ppt found here.

Learning Crafts - Peninsula and Islands

The other day we visited Newport Peninsula and Balboa island which sparked a fun conversation about the differences between a peninsula and an island.  It was a fun chat and it ended up with a craft because it would be so much fun to build a peninsula and an island!

The green is simply green homemade play-doh and the blue is just food coloring in water.  The trays are the kind that you would bring dinner to somebody in and the toys are from our miscellaneous toy bin.  One green play-doh piece is attached to the side of the tin to make the peninsula and the other green play-doh is the island.  

Enjoy!

Field Trip - Balboa Island

Today we took a trip to Balboa Island!  We brought scooters and rode around the island picking up some salt water taffy along the way!  Here's the scoop:

• First we parked at the beach parking at the Newport pier and walked across the street to the Balboa Island Ferry
• The Balboa Island Ferry has been running since 1919!  So it's a piece of history!
• Kids 5 and under are free; Kids 5-11 are $0.50 and Adults are $1.00 each way
• After arriving at the island we walked straight ahead and ran into a little playground!  It is very small but a perfect spot to stop for a water break and let the little guy stretch his legs.
• Then we walked straight across the island until we hit the walking path that goes around the island.  We turned right and stumbled upon a public beach right next to a public pier!

• Then we took a stroll down Marine Avenue where we found this gem!

• Balboa Candy had salt water taffies of every flavor imaginable!  You could buy them individually so it made for an inexpensive and unexpected fun treat!  They are only about $0.29 each!
• Then we finished our walk around the island and rode back to where we started.  It was a awesome way to spend the afternoon!

Enjoy!