Study Nuts

A red squirrel eating a hazelnut.

       A  nut  is  a  hard,  one-celled  and  single-seeded  indehiscent  fruit.  It  is usually  produced  from  an  ovary  of  two  or  more  cells,  with  one  or  more  ovules, in  each  of  which  all  but  the  single ovule  and  single  cell  have  disappeared. The  nut  is  often  enclosed  in  a  kind  of  cup,  which  still  further  protects  the  seed. This  cup  is  called  a  cupule.  Such  is  the  husk  of  the  hazel  nut,  the  cup  of  the acorn,  and  the  prickly  husk  or  covering  of  the  Spanish  chestnut.

       The  kernel  contains,  besides  the  embryo,  a  considerable  amount  of  nourishment,  on  which  the  young  plant  lives  till  it  can  support  itself.  It  is  this  store which  men  turn  to  account,  using  it  as  food  for  animals  and  for  themselves.

Required for Observation In The Classroom: Some  hazel  nuts.  Branch  of  the  hazel  bush with  nuts.  Picture  of  hazel  flowers.

Method of Student Observation:

• Each  child  should  have  a  nut for  examination  and  description. 
• Compare  the  nut  with  the  other fruits  examined,  and  the  kernel  with the  seeds  previously  described. 
• Show  that  the  kernel  splits,  like peas  and  beans.
• Explain  how  the  nut  is  developed from  the  flower,  and  compare  its growth  with  that  of  other  fruits  previously  examined. 
  

How To Grade Study Notes For Student Journals: Every student will need a journal to write in weekly for this online nature study series. Teacher will assign the weekly content in advance.

• Make sure the facts are: written in complete sentences, the first word of each sentence capitalized, and a period should be included at the end of each sentence.
• Spell check your vocabulary and write the words correctly.
• Dress up your journal entries with student clip art, drawings of your own in color or in black and white.
• Student may also include photographs of their own taking for extra credit.
  

Look for the following facts about nuts inside of student journals. Assign a point value to the quality of the content. 

• The  Nut - On  a  woody  stalk. Surrounded  by  an  irregular  green cup.  The  nut  a  fruit.
• Shell  brown,  with  a  soft  lining within.
• Kernel  covered  with  a  brown  skin. A  seed.  Readily  splits  into  two equal  parts.
• How  the  nut  is  formed - Produced  from  the  flower.
• Flowers  formed  in  the  spring.
• The  nut  is  the  ripened  seed-case-of  the  middle  of  the  flower.

Video at Youtube for Students to Watch:

1. Why you need native hazelnuts on your property! by Backyard Ecology
2. Identifying American Hazelnut by Tree Husker
3. Picking and Processing Wild Hazelnut with Never A Goose Chase

Nut themed crafts: nut + seed dolls, pistachio shell wreath, nut-head owls and Miss Hickory.

 

Crafts Made With Nuts:

• How to make nut head dolls with seed strung bodies...
• Owlets in a sycamore tree , a freshly-painted strawberry walnut, gilded walnuts and Baby Jesus cradled in a walnut shell from our Belsnickle Blog
• Craft a Pistachio Nut Shell Wreath
• Craft Miss Hickory in Her Gingham Dress

Extended Learning Content: 

• Ornaments From Nut Shells and Thistle Pods
• October Poem and Fall-Time Fun Poem
• How Native Americans Used Nuts
• Nut and Berries
• Learn about the Hickory Nut

Free Student Clip Art: Clip art may be printed from a home computer, a classroom computer or from a computer at a library and/or a local printing service provider. This may be done from multiple locations as needed because our education blog is online and available to the general public.

1.  The  Nut - On  a  woody  stalk.  A  fruit.  Green  cup  outside. 
Kernel within.  Kernel  a  seed.  Has  a  brown  skin.
2.  How  the  nut  grows - Formed  from  the  center  of 
the  flower  of  the hazel  bush.