Our First Grade has been busy studying the life cycle of plants this year. Ms. Barker was happy to tell us all about it!
The first
grade students have been studying “Plants in our Community” for their current
expedition. To start off, first graders
had to think about what makes something living.
We kicked off our expedition by have them analyzing gummy worms and
earthworms. They were able to notice the
differences between living and nonliving worms.
We then discussed how something that is living needs nutrients, water and air to grow. The first graders went
outside and studied living and nonliving things. They drew a picture of what they saw and had
to check off whether it fell under the category of living or nonliving. The expedition then turned into studying
plants. We discussed what a plant needs
to live. We studied how a plant needs
air, light, nutrients, and water to live.
The first graders then studied the process of photosynthesis and how the
oxygen that plants release, in turn helps us to live. The life cycle of a flower was next on the
list to dive into. We talked about how a
seed goes through the process of germination.
We looked inside of a lima bean and examined the start of a plant. We
then went into how a plant grows roots, a stem, leafs, and petals. The first graders were able to see how a
flower goes through the process of pollination and a new seed is made. First grade students learned a song about the
life-cycle of a plant and nailed it for their community circle! They sang and learned about how the cycle is
never ending. You can hear the song by clicking HERE.
Community helpers
came in and talked to the kids as well.
We had police officers come in and teach us the importance of safety and
following the rules. We also had an
expert from a nursery come in and teach us about his job and answered questions
that we had about plants. We then went and did some field work at Packs Farm
Pumpkin Patch. Kids listened as the
farmer talked to them about his job and why it is important for him to do his
job. He also talked to us about how
there are various kinds of pumpkins, but they all go through the same life
cycle. Before heading out to the farm,
the kids came up with some questions that they wanted to have answered. They were able to ask the farmer questions at
this time. The farmer helped them understand how pumpkins get from the farm to
the grocery stores. When we got back
from the farm, we examined the inside and outside of the various kinds of
pumpkins we received from the farm.
First graders were able to go through the life-cycle of a pumpkin and
relate it to the flower life-cycle. We
have been studying nonfiction and fiction stories about pumpkins and are
currently writing an informational book on our expedition for our final
project!
We love our First Grade students and teachers! They bring lots of love to Voyage Academy.