Plants, Trees and all things Green

We learned all about plants and trees with a visit to the UW Arboretum in Seattle early this Spring.

We started out with a game that taught us about all the things plants need to grow (water, sunlight, good soil, etc.). Each student was given a card representing an essential element. We then ran from one station to another until our decent called out for us to stop. We then showed our cards to see if a seed had everything it needed to grow at that spot. WE learned that more often than not, something is missing, and not every seed will germinate.

Then we took an up close look at the many plants starting to bloom - there were many different rhododendrons and Azaleas. We started to notice the different parts of a flower.

At a creek bed, we noticed a fern unfurling, and we learned about (and smelled) skunk cabbage, which likes to grow with its "feet" in the water.

It truly does smell like skunk!

We found these beautiful leaf skeletons, and looked at how the veins could carry nutrients all throughout the leaf.

We also learned about some different types of trees, and the different ways Native Americans used them. Below are a fish hook and a spear made from different parts of trees - not only the wood, but also the bark and sap were used in tool-making.

We got to see some Western Red Cedar up close and personal - and we learned about how important these trees were to the local people. This tree was used to make everything from canoes (from hollowed out logs), to baby diapers (from well worked strips of inner bark).

We noticed the difference between the bark of the cedar and the Douglas Fir, as well as several other types of trees.

Finally, we explored the arboretum on a scavenger hunt to find producers, consumers, and decomposers (or evidence of them.)

What a way to gain an understanding of plants and how important they are.  The consensus was: Plants and trees are definitely something worth treasuring!