Posted 12/8/21
Third graders enjoyed a Four Winds lesson on “traveling seeds” this week.
The lesson opened with a puppet show done by Ms. Backus and Four Winds volunteer, Judie Brower. Students learned how seeds are dispersed into nature by the wind (milkweed), by hitchhiking onto animals and birds (Queen Ann’s lace), by moving like helicopter wings (maple leaf pods), and by water.
They examined and dissected a wide array of seeds, from tiny goldenrod seeds to large pinecones and cattails, and then went to the Park McCullough House to collect seeds and then sorted their collections by dispersal method.
They learned a fun fact about seeds: Velcro was designed because someone observed how the hitchhiking seeds of burdock and other plants catch onto the fur of passing animals! Each student was also given a lima bean, which had been soaked in water. When they carefully opened the bean, they were able to see the beginnings of the root, and stem of a new plant. At the end of the lesson, each student was given a container of edible seeds including pumpkin seeds, roasted peas, and popped corn.
