May 2015

The study of seeds took up all of April in Verde. We started with soaking and dissecting bean seeds to discover the parts of a seed. We also traced a puzzle illustrating parts of a seed and labeled them, copying names of each part from a booklet. We looked at different shapes and sizes of seeds and matched pictures of seeds with their specimens. Later we discussed the function of each part of a seed and decided to observe how a seed germinates. We each guessed how many days it would take for a seed to sprout the first root and guesses ranged from 5 days to 100 days. It took exactly 5 days for the first bean to sprout. We also talked about needs of seeds and started an experiment to see if seeds can grow without water or light. We have noticed that seeds don’t grow without water, but those without light grow faster than those on the window sill. We talked about the life cycle of a plant and many children made their own life cycle charts. We ended the month with tasting seeds. Ms. Angela (thank you!) came to make seed bars with Verde children and we had a chance to eat them along with some other seeds. Most children enjoyed this tasting exercise and eagerly described the taste and texture of each seed.

In May we are going to discuss Asia and its people, culture, fauna and flora. If you would like to come to Verde to share something about the continent of Asia please let me know, we would love to have you!