Douglas Grade Two Fall Nature Walk
Schedule this walk for 45 minutes. The whole class can go out at once with two groups
starting near the tennis courts and the other two groups starting near the marsh.
Materials: (for each group, unless indicated)
String circles (3 per group)
Trowel
Hand lenses (2 per group)
Tongue Depressors labeled: roots, stem, leaves, flower, seeds
Tongue Depressors labeled: Sunlight, Water, Air, Minerals, Warmth
Clipboard, leaf ID sheets (1 per student)
Scotch tape
Small plastic bag for leaf collection, labeled with student name (1 per student)
Plastic bag for group seed collection
Clipboard with guide, sheet of blank paper and nature walk report
Objectives:
• Discover diversity of plants in the schoolyard and marsh
• Observe plant parts and their functions
• Identify specific trees by their leaves
• Make an individual leaf and a group seed collection
1. Discover diversity of Leaves in schoolyard
Pick a spot to spread out string circles for groups of 2 or 3 students. Scientists often
choose a study site for investigation. Ask them for reach around the ground inside
their study site. What are they touching? (leaves) How many different kinds can they
find? They may find both green growing leaves and dead fallen leaves. Children
often ask if grass is a leaf. (yes)
Do they have a favorite leaf? Which is the biggest, smallest, thinnest?
Have each child collect one of each type of leaf in their bag. Collect the bags for
now.
2. Observe plant parts and their functions (roots and stem)
We’ve seen Leaves – what other plant part can they name that grows under the
ground? (Roots)
Roots
•
Dig up one or two clumps of grass, shake off the dirt and encourage the children
to look at and describe the roots. Give out hand lenses.
•
What do roots find in the soil to help the plant grow? (water and minerals) Does
the dirt feel damp? Do they see specks of sand or tiny pebbles in the dirt? Rocks
are made of minerals that help a plant to grow.
•
Carefully replant the grass in keeping with a respect for nature.
Stem
•
What plant part connects roots and leaves? (stem) Help the children understand
that a tree trunk is a stem by asking them to name the biggest stem they see.
•
What do plants need stems? If all plants grew close to the ground, would there be
room for so many different plants? Plants need stems so leaves can spread out
and receive sunlight.
•
Ask the children how water and minerals (called sap) gets to the leaves. Plants
also need stems to move sap from the roots in the ground up to the leaves. This is
well illustrated by a plantain leaf:
Pull a plantain leaf from the plant where the leaf joins the main
stem close to the ground. Notice how the small veins are
exposed at the base of the leaf stalk. Crease the leaf across
perpendicular to the veins. Carefully tear the leaf and slowly
separate the two halves to expose the veins.
3. Discover the diversity of plants and other wildflowers in the marsh At this point,
two groups should skip to #5 and then return to #s3-4, while two groups can continue
in order.
•
Hand out their leaf collection bags and walk out the marsh loop path to explore
the wildflowers that live here. Encourage children to add
interesting leaves to their collections. Look at the very
long, thin cattail leaf. Do marsh plants have the same
plants parts they’ve already discussed? Put away the leaf
bags about halfway through the marsh.
4. Observe two more plant parts (flowers and seeds)
•
Before leaving the marsh, ask if the children can think of any more plants besides
roots, stem and leaves. Goldenrod and other late wildflowers may still be in
bloom, or ask the children to remember all the flowers they saw this summer.
You will observe many seeds in the marsh. What do seeds do? (they grow new
plants). As a group make one seed collection (no cattail fuzz, please).
5. Observe that trees have the same plant parts that smaller plants have
•
•
•
Observe any tree in the field by the tennis courts. Where are the roots? We can’t
dig them up, but remember how many roots a clump of grass had? The tree must
have big roots. The roots of a tree grow both down into the ground and out
generally at least as far as the branches reach into the air from the trunk. Have the
children stand in a circle under the tree to show how big the roots are. Do they
think roots do anything for a tree besides finding water and minerals in the soil.
What would happen to a tree if it had no roots and a string wind blew?
Is the trunk the tree’s stem? Do they see leaves?
Do children think trees have flowers and seeds? We will see flowers and seeds
on the trees more in spring, but they may observe dried up flowers, fruits or seeds
from last spring and summer.
6. Identify some trees by their leaves
•
Give each child a clipboard and set of leaf ID sheets. Have children visit the 5
trees marked with yellow-green surveyors tape. At each tree, they should pick
one leaf and tape it to the proper leaf ID sheet. They will need your help taping.
7. Wrap Up: Review plant parts and their functions:
ROOTS – find water and minerals in the soil; anchor plant so it won’t fall over
STEM – lifts leaves toward the sun; transport sap to the leaves
LEAVES – hold sap in their veins for the plant to grow
FLOWERS – turn into seeds
SEEDS – grow into a new plant
Ask the children to think about what they will draw in their nature walk journals.