Study Insects and Flowers

Soldier beetle pollinating a flower.

       The  vast  majority  of  flowering  plants  are  arranged  by  botanists  into  two classes,  wind-fertilized (anemophilous), and insect-fertilized  (entomopkilous), that  is,  plants  whose pollen  is  brought  to  their  stigmas  by  the  wind,  and  plants  for which  insects  perform  this  duty.  One  striking  feature  of  wind-fertilized  plants is  the  absence  of  bright-colored  leaves  and  of  scent.  The  interior  of  these flowers,  too,  contains  no  honey;  the  visits  of  insects  would  be  of  no  use  to them,  so  they  do  not  offer  any  inducements  to  these  animals  to  come  to  them.

       Insects  are  induced  to  visit  flowers  in  some  cases  to  get  shelter  from  storms ; in  others  to  deposit  their  eggs,  but  most  commonly  of  all  to  procure  food. Honey  and  pollen  are  the  principal  foods  which  they  seek  for  in  flowers; but  pollen  is  ordinarily  produced  in  such  abundance  that  much  of  it  can  be spared.  The  brilliant  colors  of  the  corolla  enable  the  flower to  be  seen  at  a distance,  and  the  various  parts  of  the  flower  are,  as  a  rule,  so  shaped  as  to admit  only  into  the  interior  the  insects  that  are  serviceable.  The  honey  which the  flower  secretes,  and  the  sweet  smells  do  not,  as  far  as  is  known,  serve  any other  purpose  save  that  of  attracting  insects.

       The  modes  in  which  the  flower  adapts  itself  to  the  visits  of  special  insects, the  appliances  by  which  it  covers  these  with  pollen,  to  be  transferred  to stigma  of  another  flower,  are  wonderfully  various,  and  seem  mostly intended  to  favor  cross-fertilization.

Required for Observation in The Classroom: This  lesson  should  be  illustrated  by means  of a  variety  of  flowers,  including  species  that  are  small  and  inconspicuous,  and  others  brightly  colored,  flowers  that  sleep  by  day (evening  primroses,  tobacco,  &c.),  flowers  that  sleep  by  night  (daisy, dandelion,  pimpernel,  &c.),  and  odorless  and  sweet-scented  flowers. Diagrams  showing  the  sucking-tubes  of  insects.

Method of Student Observation:

• Various  flowers  should  be  examined  in  order  to  see  and  taste  the sweet  nectar  produced  by  them. 
• Diagrams  showing  the  sucking-tubes  of  insects  should  be  shown, and  the  insects  themselves  should  be observed  as  they  visit  the  flowers  in a  garden.
  This  information  should  be  acquired,  if  possible,  by  the  observation of  insects  at  large,  and  not  given  by the  teacher  in  the  school-room. 
• Examples  of  flowers  (primrose, canterbury  bell,  carnation, etc.) illustrating  the  accompanying  notes may  be  found  in  most  flower-gardens, or  in  hedgerows  and  banks. 
• These  facts  should  be  verified  by the  actual  observation  of  flowers  and insects  at  different  periods  of  the day  and  evening,  and  the  children should  be  encouraged  to  make  notes of  their  own  independent  observations,  carried  on  at  any  time.  
  

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 insects and flowers inside of student journals. Assign a point value to the quality of the content.

• Why  Insects  visit  Flowers. - Many  flowers  produce  sweet  fluids on  which  certain  insects  (bees,  butterflies, etc.)  delight  to  feed.  Such insects  are  provided  with  long sucking-tubes,  which  can  be  thrust down  the  cups  and  tubes  of  flowers for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  these fluids,  and  some  (bees)  are  also  provided  with  jaws  by  which  they  can bite  through  the  lower  parts  of  the flowers  when  their  sucking-tubes  are not  long  enough  to  reach  the  sweet juices  from  above.
• Some  insects  (bees,  &c.)  feed  on the  pollen,  or  else  collect  the  pollen to  feed  their  young.
• How  Insects  help  Flowers. - When  an  insect  visits  flowers,  some of  the  pollen  adheres  to  its  body. Then,  as  it  flies  from  flower  to flower  in  quest  of  food,  the  pollen  it carries  is  transferred  to  the  stigmas, thus  assisting  in  the  work  of  fertilization.
• Insects  generally  fly  from  flower to  flower  of  the  same  species,  thus adding  to  their  usefulness,  for  the ovule  of  one  species  can  only  be fertilized  by  pollen  from  the  same species  or  from  one  closely  allied.
• Some  flowers  cannot  possibly  fertilize  themselves,  either  because  their anthers  and  their  stigmas  are  so situated,  relatively,  that  pollen  cannot  be  transferred  from  one  to  the other  (e.g.  the  primrose);  or  because the  anthers  and  the  stigmas  are never  mature  at  the  same  period. Such  flowers  must  have  their  pollen  transferred,  and  this  work  is carried  on  by  insects  or  by  the  wind. 
• How  Flowers  attract  Insects. - Those  flowers  which  are  fertilized  by the  wind  are,  as  a  rule,  very  inconspicuous,  and  have  no  scent ;  but those  which  require  the  aid  of  insects generally  have  brilliant corollas,  or  emit sweet  odors  to  attract  them.
• Again,  some  flowers  seem  to  prefer the  aid  of  particular  species  of insects,  and  remain  closed  except  at the  hours  during  which  those  insects are  on  the  wing.  Hence  we  find some  flowers  sleeping  during  the  day, and  others  during  the  night.
• The  flowers  which  require  the  aid of  day -flying  insects  usually  have  corollas  to  attract  them.  Those which  prefer  the  visits  of  night-fliers often  remain  closed  till  the  evening, and  attract  the  insects  either  by  their sweet  perfume,  or  by  their  large white  or  pale-yellow  corollas,  which are  readily  distinguished  at  a  distance after  dark. 

Video at Youtube for Students to Watch + articles to read:

1. Pollen and Nectar Carriers - article
2. Insect Mimicry and Protective Coloration - article
3. Video Attracting Beneficial Insects by Gardener Scott
4. Video Building A Host Environment for Beneficial Insects by Paul Zimmerman

The Insect and Flower Anchor Chart and Classroom Discussion: Direct discussions, develop vocabulary and demonstrate correct sentence writing. Anchor charts are used in many different grades the following example below may be used in 2nd through 4th grade during a group discussion.

• The  insect  visits  flowers  to  seek  for  honey.
• The  honey  lies  at  the  bottom  of  the  flower-cup.
• The  insect  sucks  up  the  honey  from  the  bottom  of  the  flower with  its  long  sucking  tube.
• The  insect  visits  flowers  to  seek  for  honey,  which  lies  at  the bottom  of  the  flower-cup.
• The  yellow  dust  inside  the  flower  is  called  pollen.
• The  insects  gather  the  pollen  and  make  it  into  a  kind  of  bread for  their  young.
• The  pollen  sticks  to  the  insect  when  it  is  seeking  for  honey in  the  flower.
• The  yellow  dust  inside  flowers  is  called  pollen,  and  sticks to  the  insect,  when  it  is  seeking  for  honey  in  the  flower.
• When  the  insect  leaves  a  flower  its  body  is  covered  with pollen.
• The  insect  carries  the  pollen  to  the  next  flower.
• This  helps  the  flower  to  produce  seed.
• When  the  insect  leaves  a  flower  its  body  is  covered  with pollen ,  which  it  carries  to  the  next  flower ,  and  so  helps the  flower  to  produce  seed.  

Insect and Flower Frame Printables: Print, color and write your favorite nature poem inside the boarder printable. For student use, not for resale.

Click to download the largest available size before dragging to your desktop.

 Poems to Copy, Credit the Author Please:

• Creation by Edward P. Butler
• Flower Fairies by Philip Bourke Marston
• Waking To Life by Hannah Kohaus
• The Hollyhock Fairy by M. D. Cole
• Caterpillar On The Wall by Marion Ryan
• Spring by Betty Alsterlund

Extended Learning Content: 

• Flower with insects drawing for kids by Piyanki Khushi
• Start drawing of a ladybug and scenery by stART DrawinG
• Acrylic painting of beautiful flower with lady bug by V art World

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.  Section  of  Flower,  showing  honey  secreted  at  bottom  of  tube ; 
2.  Insect-fertilized Flower;  3.  Insect  at  work,  sucking  honey;
  4. Sucking-tube  of  insect  enlarged,
and  section  of  same ;  5.  Wind-fertilized  Flowers.

Study How Seeds Grow

Parts of a bean seed showing
the seed coat and embryo.

       The  seed,  which  must  be  carefully  distinguished  from  the  fruit,  of  which  it forms  a  part,  is  the  fertilized  seed-bud  or  ovule.  It  consists  of  a  nucleus  or kernel,  enclosed  generally  by  one  or  more  coats,  called  seed -coats.  The nucleus  consists  of  the  embryo  or  initial  plantlet,  surrounded  by  a  store  of nutritive  matter  on  which  it  draws  for nourishment,  until  by  the  help  of  its own  roots  and  leaves  it  can  supply  itself.  In  a  fully developed  embryo,  that is  one  in  which  all  the  parts  are  manifest  before  growth  begins,  we  can  distinguish  the  caulicle  or  radicle,  the  cotyledons  or  seed-leaves,  and  the plumule,  or  rudiment  of  a  primary  terminal  bud.  The  first  stage  of  growth is  seen  in  the lengthening  of  the  rudimentary  stem  ( caulicle  or  radicle),  in  its taking  a  vertical  position,  and  in  the  development  of  a  root  from  its  naked end.  As  it  issues  from  the  seed  the  root  end  turns  downward  into  the  soil, the  stem  bending  if  necessary.  While  the  root  end  avoids  the  light,  and,  protected  by  the  root-cap  (see  Lesson  on  Roots),  makes  its  way  into  the  ground, the  opposite  or  budding  end  seeks  the  light.  The  result  of  this  lengthening of  the  caulicle,  and  passing  of  the  root  into  the  soil,  is  to  carry  the  budding end  into  the  air.

Required for Observation in The Classroom: About  a  fortnight  before  this  lesson  is  to  be given,  a  box  of  soil  should  be  prepared  to  receive  the  seeds.  A  few grains  of  wheat  and  a  few  beans  should  then  be  sown,  and  a  few more  of  each  every  day  up  to  the  time  when  the  specimens  are required.  By  this  means  a  series  of  specimens,  illustrating  all  the earlier  stages  of  growth,  will  be  ready  on  the  day  for  which  the lesson  is  arranged.
       If  necessary,  the  growth  of  the  seed,  and  the  development  of  the young  plants,  may  be  hastened  by  keeping  the  box  in  a  warm  room.

Method of Student Observation: 

• The  specimens  obtained  as  above directed  are  to  be  placed  in  order  of their  development,  so  that  the  children  may  observe  the  stages  of  growth in  proper  succession.
• The  presence  of  much  food  material in  the  seeds  may  be  proved  by  growing  them  in  water;  but  elicit  that the  soil  and  the  air  become  necessary sources  of  supply  after  the  food  stored up  in  the  seeds  is  exhausted.
• The  children  may  be  encouraged to  draw  the  young  plants  in  their different  stages  from  the  actual specimens.

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 seeds inside of student journals. Assign a point value to the quality of the content.

• Growth  of  the  Bean - At  first  the  bean  absorbs  water from  the  moist  soil,  becoming  much larger  and  softer.  The  skin  then splits  and  the  young  rootlet  protrudes.  As  the  rootlet  increases  in length,  the  seed  itself  splits  into  two parts,  thus  revealing  the  young  bud (plumule),  which  occupied  a  small cavity  in  the  closed  seed.  The  rootlet  increases  rapidly  in  length,  giving rise  to  branched  fibers  and  root-hairs, which absorb  food  from  the  soil  for the  growing  plant.  At  the  same time  the  young  bud  grows upward, seeking  light  and  air.
         The  two  halves  of  the  seed  remain attached  to  the  young  plant,  forming a  pair  of  thick,  fleshy  leaves  (cotyledons).  These  contain  a  large  store of  plant  food,  by  which  the  young plant  is  nourished  until  the  root  has sufficiently  developed  to  absorb  the necessary  food  from  the  soil.  The function  of  the  seed-leaves  being over,  they  gradually  shrivel,  and finally  drop  off.
  
• Growth  of  the  Wheat - The  grain  of  wheat  passes  through the  same  stages,  except  that  the  food store  of  the  seed  gives  rise  to  one seed-leaf  only,  and  does  not  split
  like  the  bean.

Video at Youtube Seed Growth for Students to Watch:

1. How does a seed become a plant? by SciShow Kids
2. Seed Germination or How does a seed become a plant? by learning junction
3. Plant life cycle stages from seed to fruit by The Pique Lab

Left, a 3D turtle craft lesson plan. Center a seed mosiac and right a pumpkin seed counting book.

Seed Related Arts/Crafts Projects:

• String a necklace made from seeds
• Decoupage a seed and bean abstract mosaic
• Make a mosaic home for a turtle lesson plan
• Craft seed ornaments for the Christmas tree
• Pumpkin and/or Jack-O-Lantern Number Books for Preschool
• Sunflower craft using beans and hands for younger students 
  

Extended Learning Seed Content: 

• Welcome, Little Seed!
  

Free Student Seed 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.

Growth  of  the  Bean - Absorbs  water  and  swells. Skin  splits,  and  rootlet  appears.
The  seed  splits,  showing  the  young  Dud. The  rootlet  grows  downward,  and 
the  bud  upward. The  halves  of  the  seed  supply  food  to  the  young  plant.
 Growth  of  the  Wheat - Grows  like  the  bean,  but  does  not  split.

Study The Cabbage

Ornamental Kale blooming in January in Washington, DC.

       The  cabbage  is  another  of  the  plants  cultivated  by people  for  eating and display.  It  absorbs water and nutrients quickly,  and  the  surplus  food  which  it draws  from  the  air  and  ground  is  stored  by  it  in  a  variety  of  ways.  The head  of  the  common  cabbage  is  a  store  of  such  surplus  food  laid  up  in  the form  of  a  bud.  In  the  kale  is  stored  in  the  leaves,  in  Brussels-sprouts in  small  cabbages  or  buds,  and  in  the  cauliflower  it  is  poured  into  the  flower-heads.  It  is supposed  that  all  the  different  varieties  of  cabbages  have  sprung from  the  wild  cabbage ,  a  not  very  common  plant  which  grows  on  the  sea-coast, often  to  a  height  of  nearly  two  feet. 

Required for Observation in The Classroom: A  complete  cabbage  plant  with  a  close  heart. A  complete  cabbage  plant  in  flower,  if  possible.  Cabbage  seeds. A  knife.  Various  leaf-buds or a video showing same things.

Method of Student Observation:

• Compare  with  other  roots  previously  examined. 
• Examine  the  stem,  cutting  and breaking  it  when  necessary.  Compare  with  other  stems  previously  examined. 
• Let  each  child  examine  a  leaf, and  describe  it.  Arrangement  of veins  and  absence  of  fibers  to  be noted.  
• Explain  that  the  parts  eaten  have no  fibres,  and  are  therefore  soft.
  
• Make  a  longitudinal  section  of  the cabbage,  to  show  how  the  leaves  are folded.  Compare  with  other  leaf- buds. 
• Exhibit  a  cabbage  plant  in flower,  and  let  the  flowers  be  examined  by  the  children.  (The  cabbage in  flower  may  be  obtained  in  the spring.)  Show  the  seed-vessels  and the  seeds  of  the  cabbage.

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 the cabbage inside of student journals. Assign a point value to the quality of the content.

• Root -  Branched.  Fibrous. White. 
• Stem  or  Stalk - Thick.  Green outside.  In  part  fibrous  and  tough. In  part  brittle  and  without  fibers. White  within. 
• Leaves - Much  wrinkled.  Midrib  thick,  running  through  the  middle. Veins  branched,  forming  a  network. Leaves  not  fibrous,  but  brittle. Outer  leaves  green. Inner  leaves  white,  and  folded closely  together,  forming  a  large  bud. 
  
• Flowers -  If  the  cabbage  is allowed  to  remain  in  the  ground  for a  long  time,  the  bud  opens  and  forms a  tall,  green,  branched  stem,  bearing  yellow flowers.  The  seed-vessels are  formed  from  the  central  part  of the  flowers.  The  seeds  produce  new plants.

Video at Youtube for Students to Watch:

• Cabbage growing time lapse, 100 days by Real Time Lapse
• Ornamental Cabbage & Kale Facts by MisStateExtension

Stain and Assemble Coffee Filter Cabbages: I prefer to use watercolor or acrylic paints for this craft because these are already ''color fast.'' This is the key advantage to using artist paints of any kind. I know that once the paints are dry on the filters, these will not rub off on anything else.     
       Dye will stain things that they rub up against if they are not either washed again to remove what doesn't take on a filter or if the dye is not properly made stable by the addition of a fixative.

A decorative, coffee filter cabbage for 
arranging on a table, wreath or display.

Supplies Needed:

• package of white coffee filters
• white school glue
• green and magenta non-toxic acrylic paints or watercolors
• bag of cotton balls
• chenille stems
• masking tape

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Prepare a kitchen space or a space next to a sink in a classroom.
2. Soak each coffee filter for 30 seconds. You can do this with an entire stack if you are willing to take the time to peal the filters apart, one from another, before ''dying'' these in the paint.
3. The acrylic paint should be of a liquid-like consistency before using in this craft. So, you may need to water it down a bit before puddling the paint on a kitchen tray. To make your colors more intense on the filters you may repeat this process being described over and over until you are happy with the results. Coffee filters are actually quite durable.
4. Puddle the paints in a dish, tray or cookies sheet. Tent the wet coffee filter, one at a time, so that it looks like a teepee. The edges should be facing down to grab the most intense paint color. The paint will seep upward towards the peaked center fold as the filter drys. Don't worry about the paint left in the tray; it will wash easily with just a bit of scrubbing and a once over in the dish washer on high to disinfect it. 
5. You may also take a wet paint brush, load it with color and brush on more color randomly. 
6. Let the filters dry over night and then open these up in the morning to further dry out in the sunshine.
7. Use just one filter to make the center of the cabbage. Wad together in your fist 8 or 9 cotton balls and place these in the center of the filter. Gather up the edges around a doubled chenille stem and twist the ends around the wire. Tape this in place and trim off the long length. This will be the center ball that all of the other leaves of the cabbage are attached to.
8. I folded all of the magenta inter leaves in half and then again, to cut the edges into a ruffle. Then unfolded and separated these again to fluff them out. 
9. Apply glue to the bottom of the center stuffed leaf and attach the next magenta leaf to the center of this. Proceed through all of the leaves in order of their appearance squeezing a bit of glue to sandwich between each leaf.
10. Now tuck the entire cabbage into a small bowl so that it will dry in a ball-like shape. Wait a day and then turn it upside-down to further dry.
11. Separate and fluff the leaves when the glue has dried and your cabbage will then be finished for display.

Coffee filters in peaked shapes like teepees, have soaked up the puddle paints beneath them. 
Right, after drying overnight, flatten out the filters to dry some more in the sunshine.

The center of the cabbage has one
stuffed leaf with cotton balls.

Cut the ruffled edges all at once by stacking the dry filters neatly, folding and then
cutting them together. Fluff them out before stacking and pasting them together.

Left, see the magenta leaves before the green are pasted behind them. Center, all of the
 leaves have paste, white school glue, between them and are not ready to dry inside of a
 bowl. Right, see the bowl and cabbage tucked inside. It will take awhile for the glue to
dry. After about four hours turn the cabbage upside-down an keep it in the bowl.
 In a day it should all be dry completely, then fluff out the leaves as you like. 

Extended Learning Content: 

• Cabbage poem, mini book, links and clip art
• Read about dolls born in a cabbage patch!
• Cabbages are part of the mustard family of vegetables...

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.  Root.  -  Branched.  Fibrous. White.
2.  Stem. - Thick.  Green.
3.  Leaves. - Wrinkled. Form  a bud. Network  of  veins.
4.  Flowers. - Yellow. Formed when  the bud opens. Produce  seeds.

Study The Pea-Pod

pea-pod photo

        The  fruit  of  the  pea  is  a  simple  fruit,  that  is,  it  is  the  result  of  the  ripening of  a  single  pistil.  Simple  fruits  like  the  pea  that  split  into  two  pieces  or valves  are  called  legumes.  All  dry  dehiscent  fruits  are  called  pods,  although the  name  is  more  usually  given  to  fruits  like  the  pea.  If  the  pod  opens  along one  side  only - usually  the  inner - it  is  called  a  follicle.  The  pod  or  fruit formed  by  the  development  of  any  compound  pistil  is  called  a  capsule.

 

Required for Observation In The Classroom: Some  pea- pods,  and  a  number  cf  flowers  from the  pea  plant.  Also  a  portion  of  the  pea  plant  with  pods  attached.

 

Method of Student Observation:

• Let  each  child  examine  a  pea-pod,  and  describe  its  stalk,  form, color,  &c.  Show  a  portion  of  a  pea plant  with  pods  attached.
• Each  of  the  children  should  open a  pod, and  note  how  and  where  the seeds  are  attached.
• Explain  that  the  peas  are  seeds, and  compare  with  other  seeds  previously  examined.
• Let  each  child  examine  the  pea flower,  and  observe  the  young  pod  in the  center.  Show  pods  in  different stages  of  growth.
• Sow  a  few  peas  of  the  previous season  in  a  box  of  soil,  and  watch  the growth  of  the  pea  plant  at  intervals of  a  few  days. 

 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 pea-pods inside of student journals. Assign a point value to the quality of the content.

• The  Pod - A  fruit. Stalk  short,  with  five  little  green leaves  (sepals  of  the  flower)  at  the end. 
• Pod  formed  of  two  parts,  which readily  separate  when  pressed.  Splits open  of  itself  when  ripe. 
• The  Peas - All  fastened  along one  edge  of  the  pod,  by  means  of very  short  stalks. 
• The  peas  are  seeds,  each  of  which will  grow  into  a  plant  if  placed  in the  soil  and  kept  moist. 
• How  the  Pod  grows - The  pod is  formed  in  the  center  of  the  pea flower. 
• After  the  other  parts  of  the flower  have  decayed  and  fallen  off, the  pod  and  the  seeds  within  it  continue  to  grow  and  ripen. 
• If  left  on  the  plant  long  enough, the  pod  splits,  and  the  seeds  fall  on the  soil,  where  they  grow  into  new plants. 

Video at Youtube for Students to Watch:

1. Growing Sweet Snap Pea Time Lapse - Seed to Pod in 60 days by eLapse
2. How to grow snow peas, sweet peas, snap peas from seed to harvest by Jerra's Garden

The finished 3-D patch of pea-pod plants.

Cut, Sculpt and Paste A Fun 3-D Pea-Pod Patch: To make this collage you will need the following supplies: green air-dry clay, green construction paper (in several shades), 2 paper plates, white school glue, green chenille stems, masking tape, tacky craft glue and brown acrylic paint.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Paint your paper plate brown. Let dry.
2. Punch sets of two holes opposite ends of the paper plate per stem.
3. Take chenille stems and thread opposite ends of each stem through each set of holes and tape in place.
4. Now glue the second plate to the bottom of the first. This gives the plates strength for the collage and also covers up the taped chenille stems on the backside of the first plate.
5. Cut pea shaped leaves from darkest green paper. Then paste these to the chenille stems and also onto the inside paper plate background. see photos below
6. Construct the little pea pods to attach to the stems. Cut smallish rectangles from the green paper and fold each in half lengthwise.
7. Glue the ends together to create a narrow pocket for the peas.
8. Roll tiny pea shapes from the air-dry clay and then glue these inside each paper pod.
9. Glue pea pods to the stems and also onto the paper plate background. 
10. Some of the peas may yet be immature and still have blossoms on their stems. So you may wish to add a few white pea-pod flowers to a stem or two. Make these flowers with tissue twisted about a few chenille stems and pasted directly onto the paper plate if desired.

Left, making peas in their pods. Center, the first layer of pasting on peas and leaves after the
muddy garden dirt has been painted. The white spots indicate where I punched holes for
the pea vines tips to be taped and glued just beneath the paper plate. Glue on a second 
plate underneath to give your garden patch support. Right, the vines twisted around a
pencil to give these curly shapes.

       Above on the far left, the process for making peas-in-a-pod, details: cut, fold, roll, glue and tuck. Students can make these in advance of assembling the entire pea patch. Set aside one house the day prior to making the second part of the craft, if you prefer.

       Also I covered my pea-pod stems with cotton prior to painting and shaping these. However, a very young student may alternatively use green fuzzy chenille stems without the extra steps demonstrated above on the far right. 

Detailed photos of how the teacher pea-pod patch looks when completed. 

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.  Pod. - On  a  stalk.  A  fruit.  Splits  into  two  parts.
2.  Peas. - Seeds.
3.  How  the  Pod  grows. -  Formed  in  the  center  of  the  flower.
Advanced coloring of sweet pea design for older students.

Study The Bee: Lesson 2

Natural beehive inside of a tree.

       During  the  winter  and  the  spring  the  hive  consists  exclusively  of  the  perfect female,  the Queen  Bee,  and  of  a  number  of  imperfect  females  or  worker  bees. In  the  spring  the  queen  bee  lays  her  eggs  first  in  the  worker  cells,  and  then in  the  drone  cells.  She  lays  as  many  as  2000  eggs  per  day.  Late  in  spring, or  very  early  in  summer,  the  workers  prepare  the  larger  queen  cells,  which are  placed  at  the  edge  of  the  comb.  In  these  the  eggs  from  which  queens  are hatched  are  deposited,  and  the  larvae  of  these  are  fed  by  the  workers  with the  rich  and  choice  nourishment  which  forms  only  the  first  meal  of  the  worker larvae.  As  soon  as  the  first  of  the  young  queens  issues  from  her  cell,  the  hive is  thrown  into  a  state  of  excitement,  as  two queens  will  not  live  in  the  same  hive,  and  the  old  queen,  gathering  about  her  a  portion  of  the workers,  leaves the  cell,  and  forms  a  new  colony.  These  swarms  number  sometimes  from twelve  to  fifteen  thousand.  This  forming  of  new  societies  is  repeated  until the  supply  of  young  queens is  exhausted,  and  then  the  workers  fall  upon  the drones  and  put  them  to  death.  It  is  said  that  the  first  brood  of  workers  in summer  lives  only  for  about  six  weeks,  and  then  gives  place  to  a  new  brood. The  extreme  limit  of  age  of  a  worker  bee  is  said  to  be  not  more  than  eight months;  the  queen  bee,  on  the  other  hand,  is  known  to  live  for  five  years,  and during  that  time  is  said  to  produce  more  than  a  million  eggs. 

Required for Observation In The Classroom: Inside of every hive are bees that perform one of three kinds of jobs. Have a picture and/or video of their hive on display. See observation hive by Frederick Dunn.

• This is lesson 2 for the study of bees, go here to see lesson 1.

Method of Student Observation:

• Exhibit  pictures  of  the  three kinds  of  bees: the queen, the drones and the workers. 
• Show  a  diagram  of  the  hind leg  of  the  worker,  and  explain  the use  of  the  brushes.  If  necessary, explain  the  nature  of  pollen,  illustrating  by  means  of  a  flower.
• Exhibit  a  piece  of  honey-comb, and  show  how  the  cells  are  placed, base  to  base,  and  so  inclined  that the  honey  cannot  easily  run  out.
• Exhibit  specimens  of  the  various stages  of  the  bee,  if  possible.  If  not, illustrate  by  means  of  a  diagram.
• Explain  that  honey  does  not exist  in  flowers,  but  is  prepared  in the  body  of  the  bee.
• Explain  the  fertilization  of flowers  if  the  children  are  advanced enough  to  understand  it.
  

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 both bee hives and bee job description inside of student journals. Assign a point value to the quality of the content.

• Queen. - The  queen  or  female bee  lays  the  eggs.  There  is  only one  in  each  hive.  She  seldom  leaves the  hive,  and  is  always  waited  on and  fed  by  the  workers.  She  may be  known  by  the  longer  tapering  abdomen.
  Drones  or  Males. - These  may be  known  by  their  short  and  thick abdomen.  A  few  hundreds  exist  in each  hive  -  about  one -twelfth  the total  number.  The  drones  do  not live  more  than  a  few  months,  are very  sluggish,  and  do  not  store  up food  or  build  cells. 
• Workers  or  Neuters -  Some thousands  of  workers  exist  in  each hive.  They  build  the  cells,  gather food,  feed  the  young,  and  store  up food  for  winter  use.  The  hind legs are  broad  and  flattened,  and  provided  with  rows  of  stiff  hairs.  These are  used  for  collecting  pollen  from flowers. 
• The  Hive - The  hive  is  the  home and  the  storehouse  of  the  bees.  In it  the workers  construct  hexagonal cells  of  wax.  The  wax  is  secreted by  the  abdomen of  the  bees.  Some of  the  cells  are  used  as  cradles  for the  young,  others  for storing  honey, and  some  for  storing  ''bee-bread.'' The  honey  is  prepared  from  the sweet  juices  obtained  from  flowers; and  the  ''bee-bread''  which  is  used to  feed the  young,  is  a  mixture  of honey  and  pollen.
• Metamorphoses - Bees,  like  most other  insects,  undergo  changes  in form.  The  young  are  white  limbless  grubs.  These  grow  and  develop into  perfect  bees. 
• We  use  the  honey which  the  bees  store  up  for  themselves. 
• In  flying  from flower  to  flower,  the  bees  convey pollen  from  one  to  another,  and thus assist  in  the  fertilization  of  the  seeds.

Video at Youtube for Students to Watch:

1. Wild honey harvesting by TravelRide
2. Huge beehive discovered inside an Australian home! by BBC News and Massive beehive found with 7 queens and 10 lbs. of bees! by Yappy Beeman
3. Dianaa Robertson, Bee Skep Maker from the South West Heritage Trust

The Bee Anchor Chart and Classroom Discussion: Direct discussions, develop vocabulary and demonstrate correct sentence writing. Anchor charts are used in many different grades the following example below may be used in 2nd through 4th grade during a group discussion.

• The  homes  of  bees  are  called  bee-hives.
• They  are  placed  in  gardens.
• The  bees  store  up  honey  in  the  hives.
• The  homes  of  bees  are  called  bee-hives,  and  are  placed  in gardens.
• The  bee  has  two  eyes.
• The  bee  has  four  wings.
• The  bee  has  six  legs.
• The  bee  has  two  eyes,  four  wings,  and  six  legs.
• The  mother  of  the  bees  is  called  the  queen  bee.
• The  other  two  kinds  of  bees  are  drones  and  workers.
• The drone bees are fathers.
• The fathers care for the babies.
• The baby bees are called larva or grubs.
  
• The workers are sister bees.
• The  workers  make  the  honey.
• The  bees  seek  for  honey  in  the  flowers.
• They  go  into  the  cups  of  flowers  to  suck  the  sweet  juices. 
• This sweet juice is called nectar. 
• The drones mix nectar and pollen for the babies.
• The baby bee food is sometimes called ''bee-bread''
• The  bees  make  honey  from  the  sweet  juices  of  flowers for themselves.
• We like to harvest and eat the bees honey too!

Skep Hive Dollhouse Craft:

My clothespin hornet/bee dolls in front of
their new skep hive home.

       Every bee needs a home and a family, even pretend bees. Learn how to build an old-fashioned skep hive for your clothespin bee dolls to live inside. Decorate it's exterior with silk flowers, leaves and stems. 

       Add details to the pretend door. The door is only for decoration here because the dolls actually enter and exit through the hole at the top.

Supply List:

• newsprint or brown packing paper
• masking tape
• white school glue
• one paper plate to build one
• scrap cardboard
• nicer twin for the handle
• faux wood paper for the door
• silk flowers for trim
• hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
• a tiny brass button for the door knob

See and read how to make the skep-hive dollhouse in the photos below:

crushed rings and glue application

       Crush and shape 7 rings from newsprint or brown packing paper. Use masking tape to hold the shapes in place.

       Stack the rings as you go to determine if the shapes need to be smaller or larger in order to form the shape of a skep hive properly.

       Use a paper plate to keep your area clean while you glue between each ring to bring the skep hive together. Be generous with the white glue.

the stacking of rings and handle attachments 

       Glue rings from largest to smallest until you reach the second to the smallest ring. 

       On this ring tape a handle to carry the bee dollhouse with. Wrap it around the ring to insure a very strong attachment.

      Glue on this ring and the last smallest ring on top of it.

see weighted skep hive to dry and how to paint it

       

       Use blocks to weigh down the rings while these dry overnight.

       Cut out a door from scrap cardboard and glue this firmly in place on the side of the dollhouse hive. This is a decorative door; it doesn't actually open but dresses up the appearance of the skep playfully. I covered this door with faux wooden paper to make it more believable. Glue on a tiny brass button for the handle and cut a tiny window from a magazine to include at the top of the door too.

       Paint the entire hive with dark brown acrylic paints once the hive has dried. Let this paint dry entirely before brushing on more. Use several different shades of brown applied with a dry brush to hive the hive a weathered realistic look.

added decorative details make each crafted skep hive dollhouse unique

       Hot glue on remaining decorative trims: silk flowers, stems and leaves, tucking these into cracks and such. Our queen bee appreciates a lovely garden surrounding, just like most bees and hornets.

More Arts and Crafts About Bee Hives:

• Craft a honey beehive for your dolls
• Craft a Faux ''Straw'' Skep Hive for a Doll
• Make a Beekeeper's Straw Hat Craft for A Doll

Extended Learning: Bee Themes:

• Memory ''Beehive'' for Sunday School Classrooms

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.

The size and shapes of the queen, drone and worker bees are illustrated above.
The stages of bees illustrated are larve. Details of bee anatomy like
legs are illustrated and the queen's cell and larva nursery cells 
are also illustrated in the clip art for students to copy
inside their journals or teachers to draw on a
white board.