Nature Net News
August 2005
Our Edible Earth
"What
is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
|
Dear Reader, Is there anything more magical than a seed? It is no surprise that these humble items feature prominently in so many of our favorite fairy tales. Take corn, for example. From a kernel the size of a small pebble grows a sturdy 7-foot plant, with enough ears of corn for a delicious summer dinner. And the magic doesn’t end there. Seeds have figured out so many clever ways to travel and root themselves in fertile areas. But perhaps the most exciting thing is to take a seed yourself, plant it, water it, and watch what happens! Kathe
& Betsy |
There are 600 kernels of corn on the average ear of corn? Or that apple seeds need to "rest" for 900 to 1,000 hours below 45 degrees before they can properly flower and fruit?
What to do this month:
Find something in your kitchen with
seeds. Now find something outdoors with seeds.
Visit the Dane County Farmer's Market to find hundreds of tasty Wisconsin fruits and vegetables - each of which started as a seed!
Check out family events at area Nature Net sites!
Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Keep Your Cool
If the "dog
days" of summer are just too hot to handle, remember the hottest
part of the day (and the time to avoid too much outdoor exertion) is from
10am to 3pm. Drink cool beverages without caffeine or sugar and
spend some time in an air-conditioned Nature Net
museum!
Instant
Outdoor Expert:
Seed Ya Later!
Because plants cannot move,
their seeds must find unique ways to seek out and establish new ground for
growth. Seeds can travel in many different
ways. They may use wind (like maple helicopters or the parachutes of dandelions), they may hitchhike on
your clothes or animal fur (like burdock, commonly known as
"burs"), they my get eaten and later "dropped off" by
animals (like apple seeds and berries), or they may float on water (like
coconuts and cranberries)! Find out more unique seed designs and
stories of transportation from PBS's
Nature. Once the seed has found a comfortable new home, the nutritive
tissue inside the seed coat (endosperm) provides food for the germinating seed until roots and leaves
can take over. The first part to emerge from the seed is the radicle (or
the root), followed by the plumule (the shoot) which then sprouts
the first leaves
(cotyledons)! Find out more and see a diagram from Hawaii
State Teachers Association.
Ready to sprout some seeds of your own? Plan to grow one of these exceptional gardens
from the National Gardening Association's Gardening
with Kids webpage.
Eco-Exercise:
How Does your Garden
Grow?
If you look at a garden, you’ll notice a variety of different plant
types: cornstalks grow
straight and tall; pea plants have curly tendrils that curl and swoop;
tomato plants bend under the weight of ripe fruit.
Find your favorite plant. Try
to mimic how it grows, using your body, head, hands and legs.
Hold the position for a count of 20.
Then imagine and try to emulate how the plant would look during a
very sunny day; a windy day; a rainy day.
Hold each of these positions for 15 seconds. Then, try to imagine what would happen when someone tried to
pick fruit or produce from you! How
would your plant respond? Have
fun!
"A Seed Grows: My First Look at a Plant's Life Cycle" by Pamela Hickman (ages 3-7)
"Seedfolks" by Paul Fleischman (ages 9-12)
Featured Nature Net Site
Nature Craft
Madison
Children's Museum
From asparagus to zucchini, if
it's green and tasty it can be found in Let's Grow! Children can spend a
little time in a colorful garden where they can plant and harvest a bumper
crop of bright, beautiful vegetables. Next, kids can load up their carts
and haul produce to the "Farmers' Market" where children can
swap produce and tales of the long growing season. The last stop is the
"Juice Caboose," a truly happening spot where kids can enjoy the
fruits of their labors. (Visitors may recognize the "Juice
Caboose" from its previous incarnation as the popular "Dairy
Bar" from Cows, Curds and Their Wheys.) Whether it's a make-believe
apple-carrot smoothie or a delicious stir-fry, there is sure to be
something for everyone here.
Let's Grow! is designed for the Museum's youngest visitors, children ages
one to five. Let's Grow! engages kids in positive interactions with fun,
healthy foods while they are busily forming opinions and values about food
that they will carry into adulthood. After a day in this exhibit, children
will want to shop for their own fruits and vegetables.
Cress
HeadsWatching seeds grow is a fulfilling activity for children of all ages. Include a creative recycled-material container and these sprouting seeds can spruce up a sunny windowsill and spice up a salad or sandwich!
Carefully clean and dry several eggshell halves after making scrambled eggs. Draw or paint a simple face on each empty eggshell half. Dip balls of cotton in a bowl of water so they are completely soaked. Fill the eggshells with wet cotton balls. Sprinkle cress seeds over the cotton balls. Put the eggshells in their carton to steady them, place them in a windowsill and wait a few days. Keep the cotton balls moist. Watch your "eggheads" sprout green hair! Then, cut the cress and give it a taste!
(From "My First Nature Book" by Angela Wilkes)
