Lion, King of The Beasts

Lioness and her cubs nursing.

      First  comes  the  Lion,  the  king  of  the  beasts.  The  only  remaining stronghold  of  this  largest  animal  of  the  cat  species  is  in  Central  Africa.  The time  was  when  it  wandered  through  Persia,  Syria,  and  India,  but  owing  to strong  persecution  it  has  almost  vanished  out  of  Asia.

       The  lion  is  an  open-country  hunter.  It  is  to  be  found,  as  a  rule,  in  the long  grass  and  bush-lands,  or  on  the  outskirts  of  the  deserts.  Its  color  is  a beautiful  yellowish-brown,  which  matches  its  surroundings  so  perfectly  that  it is  enabled  to  steal  upon  its  prey  unseen.  A  favorite  trick  of  the  lion  is  to  lie in  wait  upon  some  rock  near  a  path  where  deer  and  antelope  pass  on  their way  to  drink.  Its  color  here  again  serves  to  keep  it  concealed,  for  it  lies  so still  that  even  the  timid  deer  are  deceived,  and  do  not  see  their  enemy  crouching in  ambush.  As  the  deer  pass  by,  the  lion  springs  among  them  and  drags a  victim  down.

       The  lion  has  earned  his  regal  title  from  his  strength.  It  is  said  that  a full-grown  male  will  attack  and  pull  down  a  buffalo.  It  easily  drags  the body  of  the  largest  horse  over  the  roughest  ground.  When  a  lion  makes  an attack  it  springs  upon  its  victim's  neck,  and  at  the  same  time  deals  a  fearful blow  with  its  paw.

       Many  are  the  stories  told  showing  this  trait,  and  one  of  the  most  interesting comes  from  the  late  Dr.  Livingstone:

       ''A  number  of  natives  had  found  a  lion  concealed  in  a  long  grass  swamp. Forming  a  circle,  they  closed  slowly  in,  beating  tom-toms  all  the  while.  As the  circle  became  very  narrow,  the  lion  suddenly  broke  cover  with  a  roar,  and made  off  for  the  nearest  shelter.  The  natives  scattered  right  and  left,  but one  man,  unable  to  get  away  quickly  enough,  was  knocked  down  by  the lion.  When  the  hunt  was  over  .the  doctor  returned  expecting  to  find  the man  only  stunned,  when,  to  his  surprise,  he  found  his  shoulder  broken  and his  skull  crushed  like  an  egg-shell  from  the  blow  he  had  received.''

       The  lion  is  not  a  sneak  like  the  tiger,  for  instead  of  seeking  cover  it comes  boldly  out  into  the  open,  and  it  is  killed  that  much  easier.  An  instance of  the  nature  of  the  lion  is  here  shown  in  the  following  story:

       A  hunter  camping  in  Abyssinia  was  one  evening  surprised  when  a  native told  him  that  a  few  minutes  before  he  had  passed  quite  close  to  a  full-grown lion.  "You  were  not  afraid?" asked  the  hunter.  "No,"  replied  the  native. "Why  should  I  be?  The  lion  never  attacks  us  unless  he  is  very  hungry  or annoyed."

Barbary Lion roaring at dawn.

       This  last  story  shows  an  odd  trait  in  the  lion's  character. The  lion  has no  desire  to  interfere  with  man;  in  fact,  one  never  hears  of  a  man-eating  lion. Why  this  should  be  nobody  has  ever  yet  been  able  to  say  for  certain.  Many hunters  claim  that  should  a  man  fall  into  a  lion's  clutches  and  be  killed,  the body  will  not  be  eaten,  although  the  lion  may  have  fearfully  mangled  it  in  its rage.     The  natives  say  that  the  white  man's  flesh' is  distasteful  to  the  lion.

       With  regard  to  the  lion  not  being  a  sneak,  there  are  always  exceptions  to prove  the  rule,  for  while  it  does  not  hesitate  to  boldly  raid  a  cattle  corral  in broad  daylight,  there  are  times  when  it  prefers  to  sneak  upon  its  prey.  A story  showing  this  comes  from  a  young  man  who  had  recently  taken  service in  South  Africa :

       He  left  his  camp,  one  fine  evening  about  dusk,  for  a  stroll,  and,  passing near  a  small  pond,  he  sat  down  on  the  edge.  Suddenly  looking  across,  he saw  three  pairs  of  green  eyes  on  the  other  side  watching  him.  Being  new  to the  country,  he  did  not  at  once  realize  his  danger.  The  eyes  belonged  to lions  who  had  come  there  to  drink,  who,  on  seeing  him,  divided,  coming round  the  pond  slowly,  and  creeping  toward  him.  The  young  fellow,  who was  smoking,  placed  his  pipe  beside  him  on  the  rock,  and  as  he  turned  to watch  the  eyes  he  upset  it  into  some  dry  grass,  which  took  fire  at  once.  The lions,  thus  exposed  to  view,  glared  at  him,  and  then  turned  tail  and  made  off, like  great  skulking  cats.  Needless  to  say  that  was  the  last  evening  stroll  the young  man  took  while  in  those  parts.

       The  lions  set  a  bad  example  to  the  rest  of  the  animal  kingdom,  for  they are  very  quarrelsome.  Two  or  three  lions  will  combine  to  attack  a  rhinoceros or  buffalo,  but  afterward  they  will  always  fight  over  the  division  of  the spoil,  and  not  infrequently  one  of  the  lions  that  has  helped  to  gain  the  victory will  be  driven  off  without  getting  a  share.  A  hunter  once  wounded  a  giraffe, but  before  he  could  fire  a  second  shot  the  giraffe  rushed  off  over  a  hill-side. The  hunter  followed  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  to  his  astonishment  he  found  the giraffe  in  a  deadly  combat  with  some  lions.  After  making  frantic  efforts  to  get away,  the  bullet  took  effect  and  the  giraffe  fell  dead.  The  lions,  thinking that  they  had  gained  an  easy  victory,  had  a  grand  battle  between  themselves for  the  possession  of  the  carcass.

       Great  authorities  on  Africa  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  lion  will  become extinct  within  the  next  hundred  years,  unless  it  is  strictly  protected.  In  spite of  the  fact  that  the  lioness  gives  birth  to  six  or  seven  cubs  at  a  time,  these animals  are  steadily  vanishing  before  the  advance  of  man.  For  the  hunters of  big  game  it  will  be  a  pity  when  this  mighty  beast  no  longer  roams  the desert,  or  breaks  the  stillness  of  the  tropic  night  with  its  deafening  roar.

 

Lions signal their authority and ownership of a place by roaring.

• Lion Dynasty: A Matter of Pride by Love Nature

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.

Study Wood

Age of the tree determine by the
cross cut showing annual rings
in the tree trunk.

       In  dicotyledons,  or  exogenous  plants,  the  stem  consists  of  the  bark,  the cambium  layer,  the  wood,  and  the  pith.  The  cambium  layer  gives  rise  to  a layer  of  wood,  which  is  deposited  next  the  old  wood,  a  layer  of  bark  deposited next  to  the  bark,  and  a  new  cambium  layer.  The  layer  of  wood  deposited grows  hard  during  the  winter,  and  so  forms  quite  a  distinct  ring  from  the  next layer  of  wood,  which  is  deposited  on  the  outside  of  it. 

Required for Observation in The Classroom: A few blocks cut from the branch of a tree - varying in diameter. One end of each may be smoothed and varnished, if necessary , to show the rings better. Also some young twigs containing much pitch.

Method of Student Observation:

• Point out the bark, wood, and pith, in the sections of a branch.
• Show that wood is tough and fibrous, and that pith is soft and devoid of fibers.
• Show the pith rays running from the center of the wood.
• Show the rings of wood in sections of different  sizes. 
• Count the rings in each. 
• Show that a young twig has only one or two rings of wood.
  

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

• The parts of a log - bark outside. protective, sometimes very rough, sometimes smooth.
• Wood - forms greater part of the log. fiberous
• Pith - In the center, soft, no fibers. Rays from pith run in all directions.
• How tree grows - The wood is formed in rings. A very young twig has only one ring of wood. Each summer a new ring of wood is formed outside the older wood, and underneath the bark. The bark is then pushed outward year by year, and the age of the tree may be calculated by counting the rings.
  

Video at Youtube for Students to Watch:

1. Materials of a Tree Structure by Kayla Bergeson
2. How Tree Works, tree physiology by Family Plot Garden

Left, wooden rounds. Right, sculpted honeycomb.

Photo of table and chairs set up in
the garden ready for the fairy feast.

Craft a Fairy Feast for The Garden: For this wooden craft you will need the following supplies: wood glue, sliced wooden rounds, acorn shells and caps, Sculpey, acrylic paint (puff paint optional) and pretend or real garden flower clippings.

        Details above show wooden slices stacked and glued together to make the simple fairy dining furnishings and also the Sculpey shaped honeycomb prior to painting.
       The table is set for a Fall meal of dew drop wine and crusty honeycomb. Leaves make the table covering and a large acorn ''bowl'' displays a toadstool, small berries and a delicate orange flower. The acorn cup goblets are filled with dew drop (hot glue) and the honey comb is made from Sculpey hardened in an oven and painted with puff paints. There is also a small faux apple the size of a crab apple in this case for fairies on the table. Each fairy has a stool made from smaller wooden slices glued together in a short stack.

 

Left, the table and stools were made by gluing and stacking wooden rounds.
The far right, details of honey comb and dew drop wine, some of our fairy's
favorite foods for fall.

More About Fairies in The Woods:

• The Rainbow Story by  E. Antionette Luques
• The Valleys Where The Shamrocks Grow by Charles Cashel Connolly
  
• The Rainbow Land by Bertha Carman Herbst
• The Land of Fairy Tales 
• Rainbows by Dixie Willson
  
• The Mermaid Poem by Tennyson
• Have You Seen Them?
• The Good Night by John Martin

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.

A Log includes: bark outside, wood that is tough
and pith in the center that is softer.

Integrated Nature Study Lessons

       The integrated nature studies here for 4th-6th graders include journal writing prompts, art and craft assignments, educational youtube video (reviewed by teachers in advance), and reading materials collected together for independent, student research. 

       There are also materials included in many of the lessons for adapting the material for younger students in grades kindergarten through 3rd via our reader's requests. Homeschooled children with mixed ages may be included in the studies along with their brothers and sisters.

• How do I set up a station rotation model in my classroom?
• How to make a laptop child-proof or kid-safe
• A safer online experience for kids
• What is the æ all about anyway? and Binomial nomenclature before you start...

The Animals & Plants Journal Lessons:

1. Study The Rabbit - The rabbit is a small rodent of the family Leporidæ - the same family to which the hare belongs.
2. Study The Caterpillar - The  eggs  of  butterflies  are  interesting  microscopic  objects,  as  they  are usually  covered  with  a  hard  shell,  and  are  of  various  shapes  and  colors. The  majority  of  insects  pass  through  a  regular  series  of  changes.
3. Study The Butterfly - The  butterfly  is  one  of  the '' Lepidoptera ''  or  scale-winged  insects.  Besides butterflies,  of  which  it  is  reckoned  that  there  are  10,000  different  kinds,  this order  includes  the  moths,  of  which  it  is  estimated  that  there  are  40,000  species.
4. Study The Spider' Web - Spiders  are  distinguished  from  all  other  animals  by  their  habit  of  spinning webs.
5. Study Wood - 
6. Study The Cabbage - The  cabbage  is  another  of  the  plants  cultivated  by people  for  eating and display.
7. Study The Bee: Lesson 1 - The  bee  is  a  rather  stoutly  built  insect,  belonging  to  the  Apiarian  family  of the  Aculeate  or  stinging  Hymenoptera.
8. Study The Bee: Lesson 2 - 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.
9. Study The Mole - The  Common  Mole belongs  to  the  order  of  the  Insectivora,  an  order  of  animals  small  in  size,  and  m  stly  of  more  or  less  purely nocturnal  habits.
10. Study The Crab -
11. Study The Slug - The  air-breathing  molluscs  in  which  the  shell  is  internal  or entirely  absent  are  popularly  called  slugs.
12. Study The Pea-Pod - The  fruit  of  the  pea  is  a  simple  fruit,  that  is,  it  is  the  result  of  the  ripening of  a  single  pistil.
13. Study Leaves: Lesson 1 - Leaves  show  an  almost  infinite  variety  both  of  structure  and  of  shape. They  are  the  breathing  organs  of  the  plant,  and  by  their  aid  the  plant  makes organic  material  from  its inorganic  food. 
14. Study Leaves: Lesson 2 - With  regard  to  the  distribution  of  the  strands  which  traverse  the  green blades  we  distinguish  between  blades  with  a  single  main  strand  and  blades with  several.
15. Study Insects and Flowers - The  vast  majority  of  flowering  plants  are  arranged  by  botanists  into  two classes,  wind-fertilized, and insect-fertilized, that  is,  plants  whose pollen  is  brought  to  their  stigmas  by  the  wind,  and  plants  for which  insects  perform  this  duty.
16. Study How Seeds Grow - The  seed,  which  must  be  carefully  distinguished  from  the  fruit,  of  which  it forms  a  part,  is  the  fertilized  seed-bud  or  ovule.
17. Study Wood - In  dicotyledons,  or  exogenous  plants,  the  stem  consists  of  the  bark,  the cambium  layer,  the  wood,  and  the  pith.
18. Study Nuts -  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.

Independent Study: Independent study lessons may be accomplished when the student is away from the classroom. These studies could involve a student's beloved pet or a likely nature study students may participate in when on vacation or during a school closure. Students also may need a lesson or two if they are sick in bed at home. For these lessons I have chosen a few animals that students are likely to be familiar with and therefore comfortable in observing them outside of the classroom.

1. Study The Cat - The Cat belongs to the order Felidæ, the group to which the lion, tiger, leopard, puma or panther, and lynx belong

Study The Cat

The domesticated Orange Tabby.
7 facts about orange cats.

       The  cat  belongs  to  the  order  Felidae,  the  group  to  which  the  lion,  tiger, leopard,  puma  or  panther,  and  lynx  belong.  The  animals  belonging  to this  family  are,  in  proportion  to  their  size,  the  strongest,  fiercest,  and  most terrible  of  beasts.  Their  teeth  and  claws  are  powerful  weapons  of  attack. They  assail  their  prey  by  striking  it  with  their  powerful  fore-paws,  and  do  not, like  dogs,  first  grip  it  with  their  teeth.  Each  fore-paw  has  five  toes,  and  each toe  is  furnished  with a  strong  claw,  which  is  protected,  when  not  in  use,  by being  withdrawn  behind  folds  of  skin.  There  are  only  four  toes,  also  with claws,  on  each  of  the  hind  feet.  Their  strong  muscular  limbs,  small head,  and  slim  body,  and  the  soft  pads  with  which  the  toes  are  furnished enable  these  animals  to  move  very  swiftly,  gracefully,  and  silently.  Cats have  thirty  teeth,  and  these,  especially  the  four  canine  teeth,  are  very powerful  weapons.  Man  has  been  able  only  partially  to  tame  one  very  small member  of  this  family,  namely,  the  domestic  cat.

Requirements for Independent Study: Independent study lessons may be accomplished when the student is away from the classroom. These studies could involve a student's beloved pet or a likely nature study students may participate in when on vacation or during a school closure. Students also may need a lesson or two if they are sick in bed at home. For these lessons I have chosen a few animals that students are likely to be familiar with and therefore comfortable in observing them outside of the classroom.

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 from the writing list below.

• 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. Students may also include photographs of their own taking.

What to write about in the student journal?

A.) Observe a domestic cat in person or from one of the videos below and answer the following questions.

1. Explain the purpose of rough play between kittens.
2. Explain the purpose of cat whiskers.
3. Why are the claws of a cat retractile and why to they have soft pads underneath these?
4. How does a cat use it's rough tongue?

B.) Write in your journal a brief paragraph describing one of the following comparisons between a cat and other animals or things.

1. Compare the coat of a cat to that of a dog. Explain why the cat's coat is warmer.
2. Compare the pupil of a cat to a window, and explain the advantages of these.

Video Options at Youtube for Students to Watch:

1. The Wonderful World of Cats - HD Nature Wildlife Documentary 
2. Cat Tales by NOVA
3. All about kitten milestones by Jackson Galaxy

What kinds of art/craft projects about cats may a student accomplish on their own and share with their classmates once the return to the classroom?

Option 1. The Life Cycle Wheel Graph: Students will need writing and drawing tools, two white paper plates, scissors, white school glue and one brass-plated fastener. The teacher should supply the two paper plates and fastener per student.

Directions:

1. On one plate cut away a pie shaped ''window'' to reveal a stage of the cat's life cycle and a second one opening directly across from it to reveal a brief description.
2. On the second paper plate, draw a pie shaped grid with 10 slices. In the first five of these pie shaped windows include clip art of the different stages of a cat's life: the newborn kitten stage, the neonatal stage, the juvenile stage, the adult cat and the geriatric cat.
3. Within the remaining five grid spaces, write brief descriptions of each stage. Correct answers should be revealed by the turning of the upper plate windows to reveal the correctly positioned content.  (See a similar illustration of this craft here.)
4. Stack the two paper plates together, cut-away on top, and poke a tiny hole with the tip of your scissors through the centers of both plates. 
5. Insert a fastener through both plates at once in order to join the two paper plates together at their center points only. 
6. Be prepared to discuss these stages of a cat's life with a fellow student or teacher when presenting your hand-crafted wheel graph in class.

Option 2. The Environment of The Cat: Students will need a small recycled cereal box or shoe box, craft paper, scissors, extra cardboard, white school glue and drawing pencils to fashion a diorama environment for a small toy cat. The toy figure may be of a domesticated cat or of a wild cat. Three things that must be included in the cat diorama are listed below.

1. Depictions of the food a cat ordinarily eats.
2. The shelter sculpted or arranged to hide a cat from both danger and bad weather.
3. The inclusion of animals or humans the cat may peacefully tolerate within their own environment.

Option 3. A banner made up of photographs, pictures and collage. These items may be attached to a string with clothes pins, clamps, tape, or paperclips. 
       Hang the banner up across the classroom while sharing the information a student learned while absent from the classroom.

Extended Learning Content: 

• The Bad Kittens -poem by Coatsworth
• Name The Cats - puzzle just for fun!
• The Majestic Bengal Tiger - article
• Belinda - poem by Parker
• A Cat's Birthday Celebration - poem by Jones
• Find even more content about domesticated cats by clicking on this link...
• Felines and canines in life and art - article
• ''Ricardo Cat'' by Niki De Saint Phalle - sculpture
• Old-Fashioned Halloween Mask Silhouettes
• Query after cats at the Crayon Palace!

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.

Clip art includes: a cat skull, head with whiskers, eyes in dark,
 eyes in daylight, foot with claws, underside with pads.

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.