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Picnic Parade: The Trellis and the Seed

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Today I welcome guest blogger Yvie from Gypsie Road to the Picnic Parade!  She joined us last year as well, so check out her Land Run Days picnic as well!
Trellis and the Seed
Spring is here, and we’re focusing heavily on gardening.  I think that, if you want the kids to understand plant growth, they should first understand basic plant anatomy.  So we’re taking a picnic…enjoying some plant-based foods and a plant unit study!  But first – our read-aloud for the picnic…
We're taking a picnic...enjoying some plant-based foods and a plant unit study! Click To Tweet

Book


We’re reading Jan Karon’s The Trellis and the Seed.  (It has a free lapbook to accompany it, if you’re interested.)  In this gently told parable, Jan Karon tells a story of patience, of the special rewards that come from being a little bit different from everyone else, and of the courage to believe in oneself.   In a picturesque and secluded garden, a tiny seed sits in thrilled anticipation of its destiny as a powerful vine, twisting and flowering through the white latticework trellis. But how could such a small seed ever thrive and grow into a strong, healthy, grown-up plant? “Don’t worry,” Mother Earth says. “God has planned something beautiful for you.” But time passes, and the little seed doesn’t believe it.  Beautifully illustrated and filled with faith and love, The Trellis and the Seed is Jan Karon at her very best-an inspiration for all ages and an important lesson on God’s love for all creatures great and small.
The Trellis and the Seed is a story of patience, being different, and believing in oneself. Click To Tweet

Food

In the spirit of playing with our food, we’re having Ants on a Log and Grape Caterpillars.  These are both super easy foods that your preschooler will be able to help make!  Ants on a Log are made by cutting a celery stick in half and smearing peanut butter on the insides – then line up some raisins like ants walking along it.  For Grape Caterpillars, put a skewer through ten to twelve grapes.  (Googly eyes optional.)
Activity 
We began by examining the flower, intact.  The kids drew pictures of the tulip, and labeled the important parts.  Then we dug a little deeper, and learned the plant classifications : monocotyledon and dicotyledon, commonly referred to as monocots and dicots.
 
Then we pulled out the scalpel and cutting board, and went to work!  We worked our way from the top down, examining the petals and plant reproductive system first.  There are great (free) resources to help you with this part at the bottom of this post.  If you look closely, you can see the teeny ovules.

We carefully pulled apart the leaves and checked out how the plant gets its nutrients by capillary action.  There is a fantastic Young Scientists’ kit that demonstrates capillary action through multiple experiments.  For a quick & easy show, though, you can stick a celery stalk into a glass with blue or red food coloring – leave it overnight and watch the magic as the stalk turns colors!

Finally, we got down to the bulb – the seed of this tulip plant. The boys enjoyed peeling layer after layer off the bulb until they reached the stalk and fibrous roots.
Here are a couple of anatomical diagramming pages to get you started….

Resources :

  • Celery Osmosis experiment
  • The Trellis & the Seed (& lapbook)
  • Botany lapbook
  • The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds 
  • The Magic School Bus DVD set (lots of plant episodes amid the mix) 
  • The Great Plant Escape (interactive game)
  • Basic Parts of Plants 
  • Plant Diagramming Aids 
  • Plant Life Cycle cards 
  • Flower Anatomy 
  • Plant Life Cycle Pack 
If you don’t already own the Magic School Bus DVD set, I highly recommend it.  Ninety percent of the time, I can find an introductory-level video that engages the kids in whatever science topic we will be discussing.  They retain a lot of information, without even realizing it, and all because Miss Frizzle makes it so fun!  This 8-dvd set has twenty-six hours of episodes!!
 

Experiment

Materials
  • 4 pots
  • 1 jar with a lid
  • 5 healthy plants  (same size & kind)
  • potting soil
  • water
  • labels
  • paper & crayons
Directions
  • Put one plant in a jar, with soil, and put the lid on it.  Label it “No Air.”
  • Put a plant into a pot with no soil.  Label it “No Soil.”
  • Put a plant into a pot with soil and label it “No Sun.”  (Keep it in the dark)
  • Put a plant into a pot with soil and label it “No Water.”  (Give it sun, but no water)
  • Put a plant into a pot and label it “Soil, Sun, Water, and Air.”  (Give it all four)
  • Keep track of your plants’ growth for 7-10 days.  Note any changes.
  • What did you learn about plant needs?
 
What tips do you have for gardening with children?
Yvie is a roadschooling mother of two Lego & history-crazed boys!  You can find more fantastic free unit studies & printables at Gypsy Road, Instagram, and Facebook.  You can also find her ministry, The Book Shack, on Facebook.

Check out these inspiring Picnic Parade ideas:

A Rainbow of My Own

A Nighttime Picnic with Night Animals

Picnic at the Oklahoma Land Run

The House at Pooh Corner

Burgess Bird Book–Welcome Spring!

Boxcar Children Adventures!  

A Picnic with Frog and Toad

Imagination Station’s “Light in the Lion’s Den”

The Trellis and the Seed

Picnic with the Dinosaurs

The Sign Painter’s Dream

Picnic with a Purpose:  Who Was Mother Teresa?

Ladybug Girl at the Beach

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Filed Under: Book Brigade, Family Time, Fun, Homeschool, Kid Books and Resources, Picnic Parade Tagged With: Book Brigade, Family, Family Bible Study, Homeschool, Picnic Parade, Spring, Summer

Comments

  1. Susan Evans says

    May 17, 2017 at 1:14 pm

    I love all the hands-on activities that go with this book!
    Susan Evans recently posted…Civitas Government GameMy Profile

    Reply
  2. Andrea says

    May 17, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    Looks like it would be a lot of fun for the kids – and probably a few of us adults could benefit from it as well 🙂

    Reply
  3. Lo Tanner | lotanner.com says

    May 17, 2017 at 9:34 pm

    I love all the activities that are incorporated into this book! My oldest little on is a very hands on learner and I’m thinking this might be a blast for him.
    Lo Tanner | lotanner.com recently posted…4 Books To Read If You Want To ROCK at RelationshipsMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Marissa says

    May 18, 2017 at 11:06 am

    Love this! I want to play with my food more! My kids hate it when I give them finger food and tell them it’s okay to get messy… well with food… getting messy outside is a different story
    Marissa recently posted…Encouraging Hearts & Home 5/18My Profile

    Reply
  5. Olu Afolabi says

    May 18, 2017 at 5:31 pm

    Interesting activities. I am certain kids will find this quite engaging. Thanks for sharing.
    Olu Afolabi recently posted…6 Intentional Choices You can Make in LifeMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Ailie Baumann says

    May 21, 2017 at 2:22 pm

    This is so awesome. I love the activities and how you made it a hands-on experience for your children. My boys are learning farming this week at nursery school so I’m going to try add in some of your suggestions 🙂
    Ailie Baumann recently posted…Jochebed’s Story of Trust, Courage, and FaithMy Profile

    Reply
  7. andrea says

    May 25, 2017 at 1:55 pm

    I ‘member that years ago, Lily Tomlin had a featured role on that show 🙂

    Reply
  8. Terri says

    May 25, 2017 at 2:01 pm

    Looks like fun for everyone 🙂 I would enjoy it

    Reply
  9. Penny says

    May 25, 2017 at 5:07 pm

    Fabulous! I love the grape caterpillars and the raisins on celery sticks. I’ve never seen this before, would’ve come in handy when I teaching Nursery. You have such great original ideas!
    Penny recently posted…5 Healing Truths From The Book Of RuthMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Jennifer DeFrates/Heaven Not Harvard says

    May 25, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    This book sounds like a great one to share with my daughter! and I love how you’ve encorporated so many neat educational concepts into this lesson.
    Jennifer DeFrates/Heaven Not Harvard recently posted…How to Make Homeschooling ADHD Kids PossibleMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Alex says

    May 26, 2017 at 4:44 am

    What a neat idea!!! I teach High school English, so I don’t usually get enough science in my day. This looks great.
    Alex recently posted…To Have PurposeMy Profile

    Reply

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Hello! I'm Tara. My kids and I spend a lot of time in our van (and elsewhere) singing, playing , and praying. Join us as we navigate through the winding roads of life, enjoy the journey, and arrive at a place where we love Jesus with all our hearts. Read More
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