This activity allows children to investigate the parts of a flower through performing a flower dissection, and to use their knowledge of flower parts to produce anatomically accurate replica flowers which can be used to brighten up a classroom.
Introducing Flowers and Their Role in Reproduction
This topic can be introduced in a number of ways, with diagrams showing the parts of a flower available in a wide range of text books, and on numerous websites. One particularly good example, which includes 'drag and drop' activities to label the visible parts of both a closed and open flower, and an interactive animation of pollination and seed formation, is available from ExploreLearning which allows 5 minutes of free access per day.
Children need to recognise that flowers are what plants use to reproduce, so are a vital part of the plant's life cycle.
Flower Dissection - Study the Parts of a Flower
Some flowers can be really fiddly to dissect, especially for little fingers, and in situations where it is preferable to use scissors rather than a scalpel such as with younger children. Daffodils, however, are relatively easy to dissect, with all of the parts of the flower clearly visible.
The important point with any flower dissection is to ensure that children recognise that flowers contain both male and female parts. For this reason, it is a good idea to get the children to separate the flower parts into categories as they remove them. A sheet of paper marked into three sections with the headings Male, Female and Neither, provides a good framework for this.
By the end of the dissection the children should have the following:
Male Flower Parts
Stamen, made up of the Anther, which bears the Pollen (equivalent to the male's sperm in animal reproduction) and the Filament, which supports the Anther.
Female Flower Parts
Carpel, made up of the Stigma, Style and Ovary. The Ovary should be cut in half so that the Ovules (equivalent to the female's eggs in animal reproduction) can be seen.
Flower Parts Which are Neither Male nor Female
The Petals, which are coloured to attract pollinating insects to the flower, sepals and stem.
This interactive activity , available from the BBC's on-line leaning resource 'Bitesize', is a good way to reinforce learning, or for use by children who are unable to undertake the actual dissection due to hay-fever.
Making Paper Flowers
When the children have finished their dissection, and are aware of the different parts of a flower, they can use their creativity to make paper flowers. Encourage the children to use their skills of observation to look in detail at each flower part, and to produce as accurate a replica as possible.
Providing children with a range of craft supplies such as coloured paper, crepe paper, pipe cleaners, craft straws, beads, string, and coloured modelling clay allows them to select the most appropriate size, shape and texture for each part of the flower. This encourages them to think carefully about the observations they have made in order to select the most realistic looking material for each flower part.
Using Flowers to Create a Classroom Display
Once the paper flowers have been made, they can be stapled to the lower edge of a display board to provide an attractive 3D border for a classroom display. Try using green paper for the lower half of the board, and blue for the top, to create a landscape.
Children could research some other plants and animals, and produce pictures or information sheets to add to the display. Photocopying the children's work onto acetate sheets before adding it to the display means that their pictures and text be added, with the background of the display board still visible. This creates the effect that the plants and animals are really there in the landscape!
Sources
- ExploreLearning.com - Pollination: Flower to Fruit
- BBC Bitesize
Vicki Dennison - Vicki has a Ph.D, is a qualified Science teacher, and has a passion for inspiring young people.
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