Stimulating interest in science at an early age is important for STEM education. This work details an educational activity utilizing the anthocyanins found in butterfly pea flowers ("Clitoria ternatea"). This activity was developed for use in official classroom settings, online, and/or at-home with parental or educator guidance. Primary…

Where does our food come from? Such a question may be difficult for some children to answer, especially those living in a city apartment devoid of a backyard with a vegie patch or fruit trees. This article describes a learning experience designed to encourage Year 1 children to think about the foods that humans obtain from plants. The learning…

The topic 'Animals including humans' runs through the primary science National Curriculum in England (DfE, 2013). Ideally, topics such as inheritance will lead onto adaptation, natural selection and evolution across key stages 1 to 2 (ages 5-11). This article provides nine engaging activities to support the teaching of adaptation and improve…

Measuring plant stem growth over time is a simple activity commonly used to introduce concepts in growth and development in plant biology (Reid & Pu, 2007). This Quick Fix updates the activity and incorporates a real-world application: students consider possible effects of soil substrate and sunlight conditions on plant growth without needing…

In secondary science education, the learning and teaching of coherent conceptual understanding are often problematic. Context-based education has been proposed as a partial solution to this problem. This study aims to gain insight into the development of conceptual coherence and how context-embedded learning-teaching activities (LT) can promote…

"Soil, Seeds, and the Pumpkin Patch!" is an integrated unit designed to provide elementary school teachers with ideas for using hands-on activities, fostering inquiry and valuable discussion, and using technology as a learning tool. This unit integrates science with language arts, mathematics, literature, and technology. During this unit, students…

Where does cellular respiration take place? How does a plant make food and in turn use the food to produce its own energy? Do animals carry on this process also? To help students answer these and other questions, have them build a model leaf, plant cell, and animal cell. This hands-on project allows students to see and manipulate the reactants and…

Animal and plant species identification is often emphasized as a basic prerequisite for an understanding of ecology and training identification skills seems a worthwhile task in biology education. Such identification tasks could be embedded into hands-on, group-based and self-determined learning: a) Teaching and learning should make use of a small…

Discusses some of the remarkable capabilities and fascinating behavior of plants. Describes several simple experiments that young scientists can accomplish with plants to demonstrate their ability to sense, react, and adapt to their environment. (JJK)

This guide contains indoor and outdoor gardening activities for children. The activities teach children how plants live and grow; how the weather, temperature, and seasons affect all living things; how living things come out of seeds and soil; how the birds, earthworms, bees, and toads help in the garden; and how the whole environment works…

Provides instructions for planting a variety of common plants including avocados, and sweet potatoes, oranges, and onions. Discusses key concepts to develop. (MA)

Describes a procedure for the separation of coleus pigments using simple supplies and equipment from home and the supermarket. (MA)

Children notice seeds and plants every day. But do they really understand what seeds are and how they are related to plants? Have they ever observed what is inside the seed? What happens to the "things" inside a seed when it grows? What do plants need to grow, and what do they need to stay healthy? Through a sequence of three related learning…

Offers suggestions for spring activities focusing on plant reproduction both indoors and outdoors. Suggests planting seeds to observe, measure, and record effects of temperature, moisture, fertilizer. Recommends outdoor study of the horsetail plant. (NEC)

Describes a project by secondary-level students of constructing a rain forest in a 14-by-14-by-8 meter space in a shopping mall. (PR)