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Students will have a sheet of paper that is numbered. Students will have to identify each part, cut and glue the correct part to the correct number

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Students will be able to take home a bean plant and watch it grow from home. By the end of the second week, they will have to bring the plant back and show the class how much their plant has grown. What did they do to help it grow?

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Students should be able to identify the parts of a life cycle
Students should be able to ask questions regarding the life cycle

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We all love beautiful flowers. Maybe you enjoy painting pretty pictures of flowers, or perhaps you like to give them to your mum as a special gift on her birthday?! But did you know that the life cycle of a plant plays a super important part in the plant kingdom?

Congratulations! You've found the key to unlock vault 13 - click here to find out more.

Plants use flowers to reproduce, in fact. Find out all about the incredible role flowers play below...

The life cycle of a plant

The parts of the flower

If you thought that flowers were just a pretty bunch of colourful petals, then think again! Flowers are actually very complex, made up of different parts that all have important jobs to do.

Inside, they have male and female parts which enable the plant to reproduce. Let's take a closer look...

Petal:large, brightly coloured petals are used to attract insects
Stamen: the male part of the plant
Anther: produces grains of pollen
Filament: supports the anther
Pistil: the female part of the plant, sometimes called the 'carpel'
Stigma: collects pollen grains
Style: allows pollen to pass to the ovary
Ovary: produces seeds inside tiny 'ovules'
Sepal: found outside the petals, the sepal protects the flower when it's unopened
Receptacle: attaches the flower to the stem of the plant
Pedicel: a stalk that supports a single flower

What is pollination?

The first stage of reproduction in flowering plants is called ' pollination '.

But what is pollination? This is when the pollen produced on the the anther of a flower moves to the stigma.

If pollen moves from the anther to the stigma on the same flower (or a flower on the same plant), it is called ' self-pollination'. If the pollen is transferred from the anther to the stigma on another plant, it's called ' cross-pollination '.

How are flowers pollinated?

There are two main ways that flowers are pollinated - by insects and by the wind. Insect pollinated flowers and wind pollinated flowers are adapted differently.

Insect-pollinated flowers: these flowers have brightly coloured petals and are scented with sweet-smelling nectar to attract insects looking for a snack.

The pollen grains are sticky and spiky, so that when the insect enters the flower, they stick stick to its body.

These flowers have sticky stigmas, too, that catch the pollen when the insect brushes past.

Did you know...?
It's not just insects that pollinate plants - birds and bats do, too!

Wind-pollinated flowers: these flowers are usually a green or dull colour and have no scent, since there is no need to attract insects.

Their anthers are located outside the flowers and produce large amounts of fine pollen for the wind to pick up and transfer to their feathery stigmas.

Fertilsation of flowering plants

Once the pollen grain lands on the stigma of the same species of plant, a pollen tube grows down from the grain, through the style and into the ovary.

Then, male ' gametes' (reproductive cells) pass from the pollen grain along the tube to the ovary, where they join with female gametes in the ' ovules'. This process is called ' fertilisation '.

Once an ovule has been fertilised by the pollen, it develops into a seed, containing an embryo (a young root and shoot) and a food store that will allow the young plant to start to grow at a later stage of the life cycle.

The ovary wall then develops into a fruit or a pod to protect the seed.

Did you know...?
The flowers of some plants have just one ovule in their ovary, and so grow fruit with just one seed inside, such as a peach. Others have ovaries containing lots of ovules, and so produce fruit with many seeds, like sweet a kiwi fruit.

Seed dispersal

For the seeds to grow into healthy new plants, they must be ' dispersed ' or spread away from each other and their parent plant.

This is important, as it means there will be less competition for the sunlight, water and nutrients in the soil that they need to grow big and strong!

But how can the seeds in the fruit be transported to a new spot? Well, there are a few ways, actually...

Animals: lots of plants use their animal buddies to help them spread their seeds. When animals or birds guzzle up the plant's yummy fruit, the seeds pass through their bodies undigested and pop out in their poop.

Some fruits have little hooks on their skin that attach the fur of passing animals, allowing them to be carried away from the parent plant.

Wind: other plants have specially adapted seeds that are dispersed by the wind. One such plant is the dandelion, which has feathery parachutes attached to its seeds, so they can drift through the air.

Water: many plants that grow in or near water produce light seeds that fall on the water, float and get get carried away.

Exploding pods: there are some plants that are able to spread their seeds all by themselves! They have exploding pods that burst open when ripe, flinging the seeds into the air! Cool, eh?

Seed germination

When a seed settles in suitable ground, it breaks open and the embryo starts to grow. This part of the process is called ' germination '.

The seed will only germinate, however, if the soil is healthy, warm enough and if there is access to water.

Roots grow down into the ground, taking up water and nutrients, and a shoot grows up through the soil towards the sky.

The shoot will develop into a stem, transporting water and minerals from the roots up to the rest of the plant. The stem will also eventually support leaves to make food for the plant through a process known as photosynthesis*

The plant will continue to grow until it is mature and ready to reproduce again. And what next? You guessed it...the new plant produces beautiful flowers and the cycle starts all over again.

Now, that's why we say flower power!

Did you enjoy reading about the plant life cycle? Leave a comment below and let us know!

*Photosynthesis is a process where green plants use water, light and carbon dioxide to create their food and release oxygen into the air.

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Life cycle of a plant | Science & Nature | National Geographic Kids

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Learn about the life cycle of a plant. How do plants reproduce? What is pollination? What part do flowers play in the plant life cycle?

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Diagram of the life cycle of a plant from seed to fruit and explanatory text

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Science4Fun - Learn Science experiments, Topics, ideas and activities

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A lifecycle is a continuous process that describes how a living thing starts its life, grows to maturity, reproduces, and dies. All living things including plants have specific lifecycle which keeps their species alive. Furthermore, the lifecycle goes step-by-step - also called stages of the lifecycle - in which organisms go through a series of changes within their bodies which are also affected by environmental factors.

What is Plant Life Cycle?

Plants are living things, they grow and reproduce like any other living thing. They also follow a cyclic process in various stages like starting a new life, growing, and then coming back to the starting stage (reproducing). Plants start their life from seed and grow up to become mature plants.

The life cycle of plants contains various stages which follow under the two distinct phases of the Plant's life cycle which are the haploid phase and diploid phase. These two phases of the plant lifecycle can also alternate and this process is called the alternation of generations

Alternation of Generations

The alternation of generations is the primary type of lifecycle in plants. In this lifecycle, the haploid sexual phase (gametophytes) which consists of only a single set of chromosomes turns into a diploid asexual phase (sporophytes) which contains two sets of chromosomes. Both haploid and diploid are multicellular and their cells split by meiosis and mitosis process of cell division respectively. This alternation of generation is not only common in plants but also found in algae and fungi.

Stages of Plant's Life Cycle

Most of the plants start their life as a seed. The seed is buried in the ground by various methods where it germinates and the first leaves of the plant start to appear called seedling. After that, further growth starts and the plant reaches maturity where it pollinates and gives seeds so that its species continue to survive by starting the life cycle again. The stages of a plant's life cycle are broken into 3, 4, and 5. But the most widely accepted is the 5 stage model.

The five stages of the Life cycle of Plants are:

Seeds are much like babies of animals. They contain the embryo of the plants with necessary food and an outer coating for protection.

These seeds are dispersed across the land in many ways, such as moving water, wind, animals, and humans. When they fall on the rich soil with necessary things, such as water and the right temperature, they germinate and start their journey of life.

Germination and Seedling -

When the conditions in the soil are just right, the seed germinates. First, it breaks the outer coating and begins growing its first roots and leaves (cotyledons).

When the first sign of life from a seed appears out of the soil, it is called a seedling. As soon as the roots and leaves appear, they start their work, i.e. roots absorb water and nutrients, and leaves make food by photosynthesis. After this, the plumules develop from which new leaves emerge and grow. Plumules are the basic stems during the seedling stage.

Growing to Maturity -

The seedling continues to grow until it reaches its full maturity. The plant needs many necessary things during its growth such as water, nutrient-rich soil, air, sunlight, the right temperature, and sufficient spacing from other plants. (For details check how plants grow?).

When plants become mature, they have to get stronger roots and an increased number of branches and leaves. At this stage, they are ready to make flowers and new seeds.

Flowering, Pollinating, and Seeding -

When plants become mature, they start to make flowers from modified shoots (determinate Apical Meristem). In most plants, a flower contains male and female parts; the male part is called a stamen, and the female part is called a pistil. The stamen produces the pollen (a powdery substance) which needs to reach the pistil for the production of seeds. The pollen usually spread and reaches the pistils through insects that sit on the flowers for sucking sweet fluids. When the pollen reaches the pistils, it fertilizes the cells inside it and produces seeds.

There are many plants whose male and female parts are separated by a large distance. In this case, winds and flying insects play a very important role in pollination. Winds usually carry pollen in a strong blow along with them which often reach female parts. On the other hand, Insects go from one plant to another for drinking sweet fluids. When they enter a flower, pollen get sticks to their bodies and is carried to female parts when they sit on that part of the plant.

Seed Dispersion -

After the production of seeds, the plants need a way to disperse these seeds to favorable places where they can germinate and start their life cycle. Most of the time, nature does the job of dispersion for the plants through winds, moving water, and animals. But there are also plants whose seeds are surrounded by fibers that help them to glide in the air when they fall apart from the plant. During their glide, they can reach very far distances and start their life away from their parent plants.

What about Seedless Plants?

You may be thinking that all the plants are grown from seeds, but it is not true! Many plants don't produce the flowers and seeds to reproduce. Instead, they grow from the spores of their parent plants. Spores can be parts of a plant or their remaining upon their death. New plants are produced from the spores and continue to grow.

See Non-Flowering plants for further information.

What is Self-Pollination and Cross-Pollination?

In self-pollination, the pollen from the anther reaches the stigma in the same flower, or a different flower in the same plant. However, cross-pollination is a bit different. It happens when the pollen from the anther of one plant reaches the stigma of another plant's flower having the same species. Both of these processes can happen naturally as well as artificially.

What is the Asexual Reproduction of Plants?

In simple, the plants which grow without fertilization are called asexually reproduced plants. Asexual reproduction can occur from fragmentation, spores, budding, and vegetative propagation. Potatoes are a famous example of the asexual reproduction of plants.

Interesting Facts

Great Basin bristlecone pine is the longest living plant found in the world. Its age is measured to be around 5,056 years.

Coco de Mer is the seed of a palm tree, it can weigh about 18 Kg (40 pounds) and can reach a height of 12 feet.

Rose, Jasmine, and Lily are the strongest smelling flowers.

When a seed is not germinating, it is in a dormant state. In this stage, it is no more than dead stuff.

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Life Cycle of Plants: Stages, Types, and Facts

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Plants are living things, they grow and reproduce like any other living thing. They follow a cyclic process of starting a new life, growing, and then coming back to the starting stage (reproducing).

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Plant Life Cycle For Kids - Plant Life Cycle Stages-SmartClass4Kids

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Explore the different stages of plant life cycle for kids. The plant life cycle starts with a seed that is protected by a tough layer, called Outer Coat.

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(2) Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student develops abilities to ask questions and seek answers in classroom and outdoor investigations. The student is expected to: (A) ask questions about organisms, objects, and events observed in the natural world

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Plant Life Cycle - Learning Life Cycle - Videos For Kids And Toddlers

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How Does A Seed Become A Plant? | Backyard Science | SciShow Kids

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(10) Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms resemble their parents and have structures and processes that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to:
(D) observe changes that are part of a simple life cycle of a plant: seed, seedling, plant, flower, and fruit.