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Is it rainy during April where you live? I can still remember the baseball season when my son was little and the month of April was always so rainy. We had make-up games every week due to rain and mud.

Even with too much rain, we still enjoy our May flowers that bloom. This is what prompted me to think about using seeds and flowers in STEM class and this first challenge we tried was the best ever!

Here's the story of this challenge!

I drew a fabulous anchor chart showing the methods of seed dispersal and we had a great discussion including ideas of how we could build something for each method. Then I passed out the assignment cards. Each group had a different one. They had some decisions to make!

How would they build a model and what materials would they need?

Here are some of their models! Are you ready? These are FABULOUS!

Dispersal by Animals

Basically, animals move seeds by eating the fruit of a plant and then expelling the seeds. They might also move seeds by taking the seeds back to the homes. Kids really enjoyed thinking about this one- mostly because they like to say the word 'poop'! The ant in the photo is carrying away seeds in his feet.

Dispersal by Attaching

Attachment is the dispersal method that involves plant parts clinging to an animal. This one has an interesting story that involves the invention of velcro! Think about it! The group in the photo made a turkey! They even included the turkey's wattle with a piece of red yarn. Their seeds are clinging to the turkey 'feathers'.

Water Dispersal

Did you know that most seeds float? So, what would you build to show this dispersal method? Most of my groups built a form of a boat that carried the seeds away. The one in the photo looks fabulous, but it was made entirely of cotton balls so it sunk immediately!

Carried Away by the Wind

Kids loved this one! Most groups hoped they would be assigned this dispersal method or the last one!

Some form of a parachute was what the teams built. And the parachute dispersed their seeds.

How About Gravity?

Gravity is a form of dispersal but generally results in dropping the seeds right near the parent plant. This is really not what you want to happen. You want those seeds to travel away. The team in the photo made a cherry by wrapping red yarn around the seeds and adding a green straw as the stem. They cut that red yarn to show the cherry drop to the ground.

And our very favorite- EXPLODING!

This dispersal method was, by far, the one all the kids wanted. They just loved thinking about placing seeds inside a balloon and then popping the balloon to create the exploding and seed dispersal.

Y'all, we had the best time with this challenge! The kids learned so much about seed dispersal and their models were precious! Click on the image below to see more!

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6 Exciting Ways to Show Seed Dispersal - Teachers are Terrific

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Is it rainy during April where you live? I can still remember the baseball season when my son was little and the month of April was always so rainy. We had make-up games every week due to rain and mud. Even with too much rain, we still enjoy our May flowers that bloom.

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Virtual Resources for the lessons in the unit.  Click the "make a copy" button to save to your google drive.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U3F-LLQgs_AjCQ4EEVEsl4v_Lijbdye-/copy

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Spring is in the air, and so is STEM!

Students are finally outside again observing their natural world! One of the things that students are most excited about is finding bird nests and looking at bird eggs! Consequently, each year students bring in nests that they've found on the ground. They also bring in broken eggs (mostly the beautiful little robin eggs). In addition, students have sent photos and videos of baby birds to the class! If your students are like mine, they will love these STEM activities! Better yet, students will learn, and you will all enjoy the opportunity to get outside and enjoy the fresh air!

Background Knowledge through Informational Reading Passages

The first two resources are informational reading passages about robins with a follow-up STEM activity. One passage is written for primary grades, and one is written for third and fourth grades. Students will eagerly read about what robins look like, how they build a nest, and about their life cycle. In fact, this is a great time for more in depth discussions about animals needs and life cycles.

STEM Challenge

After learning about robins, students will work in teams to create a robin's nest given certain criteria and constraints. First, students become material engineers as they think about what materials they can collect that will work the best to build their nest. Next, they will gather their materials. Finally, they use their math skills as they measure the size of the nest. Here's what one of the fourth graders said while working on the STEM Challenge:
Click on the robin to see to the resource.
Try a WebQuest

Another fun activity is a WebQuest. You may ask, "What is a WebQuest?" When doing a WebQuest students are given a specific website to go to. They are also asked to find certain information. In this case, they are given a link to a website about the American Robin. Using a tablet or a laptop students work with a partner to answer questions, listen to bird songs, and draw pictures! After they are finished with the WebQuest they will be asked to build a bird's nest based on information they have gathered online.

If you are looking for other spring challenges, you might enjoy this blog: 4 STEM Challenges for Spring.

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Spring STEM: Building a Bird Nest - STEM Activities for Kids

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Students are finally outside again observing their natural world! One of the things that students are most excited about is finding bird nests and looking at bird eggs! Consequently, each year students bring in nests that they've found on the ground. They also bring in broken eggs (mostly the beautiful little robin eggs).

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Living vs. Nonliving | PBS LearningMedia

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In this lesson, students explore the characteristics that distinguish living from nonliving things. NOTE: Three of the video resources in this lesson are not available because their rights clearances have expired. We're looking into making them available again or replacing them. Check back later or search for other great resources on PBS LearningMedia.

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This was our version of the W from the KWL chart. The kids love it and make connections to their friends' questions.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Animated Film

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How Do Fish Breathe? | Animal Science for Kids

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Lots of great short videos (animated and real world) about plants and animals

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Snack Tracks | Animals and Plants | Kids

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Have you ever seen animal footprints and followed them to see where they go?

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Bean Time-Lapse - 25 days | Soil cross section

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Click the "make a copy" button to save to your google drive.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1d-KJAM_NY6Q4Erke8myLO4azwjSUGZXJjSLUrORTNqY/copy

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TOUCH this image to discover its story. Image tagging powered by ThingLink

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What a Plant Needs to Stay Alive | Springtime Song | Science Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann

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lengthy-but engaging and the kids love the videos

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Plants and Animals Course of Study Correlations

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Plants and Animals Course of Study Correlations

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Weather Walk Course of Study Correlations

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Weather Walk Course of Study Correlations

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'Quick as a Cricket' by Audrey Woods - READ ALOUD FOR KIDS!

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The Very Quiet Cricket (The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Stories) | Made For Kids | Eric Carle

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아이 워즈 워킹 다운 더 로드 Read Aloud-I Was Walking Down The Road by Sarah E. Barchars

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Let's Sing with Eric Carle's Book ~ : "From Head To Toe Song"

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I'm a Seed by Jean Marzollo.  Grandma Annii's Story time

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Plant Parts Labeling | Plant Game | Turtle Diary

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Identify and label figures in Turtle Diary’s fun online game, Plant Parts Labeling! Drag the given words to the correct blanks to complete the labeling!

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A habitat is the place an animal naturally lives and grows. Let’s explore some examples of habitats and the different animals that live there. Watch now!

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A habitat is the place an animal naturally lives and grows. Let’s explore some examples of habitats and the different animals that live there. Watch now!

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Ways Plants and Animals Change Their Environments

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Ways Plants and Animals Change Their Environments

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Citing Research References

When you research information you must cite the reference. Citing for websites is different from citing from books, magazines and periodicals. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association).

When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows.
Author Last Name, First Name(s). "Title: Subtitle of Part of Web Page, if appropriate." Title: Subtitle: Section of Page if appropriate. Sponsoring/Publishing Agency, If Given. Additional significant descriptive information. Date of Electronic Publication or other Date, such as Last Updated. Day Month Year of access < URL >.

Here is an example of citing this page:
Amsel, Sheri. "Ways That Plants and Animals Can Change Their Environment - Diagrams" Exploring Nature Educational Resource ©2005-2020. December 9, 2020
< http://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Ways-That-Plants-and-Animals-Can-Change-Their-Environment-Diagrams >

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Ways That Plants and Animals Can Change Their Environment - Diagrams

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Citing Research References When you research information you must cite the reference. Citing for websites is different from citing from books, magazines and periodicals. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association). When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows.

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Sid the Science Kid- Reduce Reuse Recycle

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Sid the Science Kid- Reduce Reuse Recycle

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Recycling! | Sid the Science Kid Videos | PBS KIDS