Current Connections- Arbor Day TCI

Free Lessons

Download a free hands-on activity and start teaching in minutes.

Elementary

Ouch! A Prickly Plant

Learn about how the spines on a cactus help it survive in a dry area. Then, model the defensive properties of a cactus with a sponge, toothpicks, and water.

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Elementary

Plants That Trap Insects

Read about carnivorous plants, develop a testable question, and conduct an original investigation in this open inquiry activity.

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Secondary

Designing a Seed Dispersal Device

Help Nana grow a garden in the empty lot near her house by engineering a seed dispersal device.

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Featured Career Profiles

Explore careers that help protect the environment. Consider assigning a group to read each and share what they’ve learned.

Outside Resources

Every TCI lesson includes ideas for Enhancing Learning. Here are a few that may be helpful to teach your students about plants and gardens.

Readings

How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan This book explains how a seed grows into a plant. The text lists things that come from seeds, and the watercolor illustrations show different kinds of seeds and where they come from. Students can try the simple experiment on growing a bean plant from a seed.

Where Do Plants Grow? by Louise and Richard Spilsbury How can plants survive in different habitats? Discover how different plants live in habitats that may be cold and dark or hot and dry.

Cooking with Sunshine: How Plants Make Food by Ellen Lawrence Unlike animals, plants must make their own food. This book explains the process of photosynthesis and the ways plants use it to survive.

Simulation

Websites

From Seed to Fruit | Everyday Learning https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/evscps.sci.life.seed/from-seed-to-fruit/ This video takes children through the different stages of growth in the life of a cherry tomato plant. Planting a seed in a cup and watching it grow over time is a wonderful way to introduce the life cycle to young children.