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One of the things I like about gardening is the chance to see lots of different insects when I'm outside. Insects are very interesting.
Do you know the difference between a fruit and a vegetable? Are you sure?
For the last two months, we've been talking about insects without really defining what they are. Butterflies, ants, and grasshoppers all look very different, yet they are all considered insects. Spiders look a lot like ants but they are not insects. So, what's the deal?
All living things have cells. They are the smallest part of every organism that can exist on its own. Since they are so small, they are difficult to see even though they are all over the place. Our project this month is to make a model of a plant cell.
I just found a neat garden scavenger hunt used at the Des Moines Botanical Center. I've adapted it so you can try it in your own yard, during a visit to a garden center, at the zoo, or when you're visiting an arboretum.
Do you remember when we made plant cells out of gelatin a few months ago? Those cells are located in plant leaves and that is where photosynthesis takes place. Photosynthesis is the process the plant uses to make its own food out of sunlight. This month, we're going to take a closer look at leaves!
Autumn is a great time to be out in the garden; the cool weather means it's time for the harvest! If you planted pumpkins or sunflowers last spring, you'll need these directions for preparing their seeds to eat.
Now that spring is here, we don't need activities to do inside, so here are some ideas for things to do outside while the weather is warm! (Watch for Kids' Corner articles to return next September!)
In November, I asked you, "How can you use vegetables to make gift wrap?" The answer is, by using vegetables (and fruits) as stamps!
Valentine's day is right around the corner so this month we'll make neat cards that hold the promise of spring flowers. Like all of our projects, you probably have most of the supplies you'll need.
Making shrunken heads is easy to do at home and not at all scary. That's because you make the heads out of apples and watch them shrink before your eyes!
With all the snow on the ground, it's hard to remember what the streets and sidewalks really look like, but I want you to think back to summer. Can you remember ever seeing a tiny plant pushing its way up through the asphalt, or from a crack in the cement? It's hard to believe a seed can be that strong, but they are. If you don't believe me, try this experiment.
I just got back from a trip to Florida. While I was there, I was amazed at how good the fresh fruit tasted. The fruit I buy here in the grocery store int he winter is okay, but it's just not the same. I've found a way to get fresh fruit taste in the winter by making my own fruit trail mix!
Roses are red, violets are blue, plants can make beautiful valentines too! Actually, pressed leaves and flowers make beautiful greeting cards for all occasions.
This month we're going to look at how fertilizers affect plant growth by repeating an old project with a little twist. You can conduct your own scientific experiment by growing sprouts for research instead of lunch!
It's still too early to plant seeds outside, but you can make seed tapes and mats now to make planting easier in May.
The end of summer doesn't have to mean the end of fun gardening activities. Our first project will be to see how worms eat your garbage and turn it into rich soil.
Fertilizer can be a good thing for plants, but when fertilizers get into lakes and rivers, it's a bad thing. Do your part in the spring to keep our lakes clean, and in the meantime, here is an activity with a secret message!
Plants produce seeds to be sure there will be more of that kind of plant even when there's no more room for plants to grow. Some plants produce hundreds of seeds, to be successful, they have to have a way of getting the seeds to different places. This month we'll talk about some of those ways and have a seed race.
This month, we'll be growing alfalfa sprouts without soil. Since it's too cold right now to grow anything outdoors, this is a neat thing to know! If you've ever eaten sprouts on a sandwich or in a salad, you already know how sweet and crunchy they can be. What you probably don't know is how easy it is to grow them on your own!
For a gardener, February is a tough month. It's been many weeks since we could do any outdoor gardening, and even the plants we have inside are looking pale and unhappy from lack of sunlight. All the seed catalogs have arrived in the mail, and after looking at all the pictures, I'm ready to order one of everything. It's easy to sit around dreaming about what your garden would look like if you had all those special plants, but let's face it; most of us don't have the money or garden space to plant them all. This year, let's do some realistic planning!
Although our gardens have gone to sleep for the winter, they still provide food for the birds and other animals. When you look out the window or take a walk in the winter, you will probably see trees and shrubs with berries left on them and old seed heads left on the dead flowers. Those seeds and berries are an important food source for wild critters! This month we're doing a project that provides extra food for the birds.
Happy Autumn! This is the time of year when we start spending most of our time indoors, but it's not too late to collect plant materials from outside to beautify our homes. Ask your grown-ups for permission and then head out to find materials to make a Thanksgiving Centerpiece.
As I promised in October, this month we'll be exploring how insects eat using activities from the Junior Master Gardener program. There are four different types of insect mouth parts and they are very specialized. That means insects have mouthparts specifically designed to eat each insect's specific food.
We all know that plants "drink" water with their roots, but did you ever wonder how the water gets to all the other parts of a plant? When you do this kitchen science experiment, you'll be able to see how the water gets from the bottom of a plant to the very top!
If this is April, then it's probably raining and that means spring is here! It also means that debris that collected on our driveways and in the streets over the winter is being washed away into nearby lakes and streams. Now, I've been talking about water quality all winter, so you already know how important it is to keep Minnesota's water clean and not green and slimy. This month our project is to build a simple watershed.
Last month, we did some experiments with beans to learn about seeds. This month we'll be using bean seeds to grow plants for a window sill garden!
If you visited the Dakota County Fair last August, you may have participated in an activity we called "Make a Potato Head." We used cut up vegetables to make silly faces and hair on regular old potatoes. This month, we're doing the same project with a little twist; this time we'll GROW potato people!
Have you ever eaten an apple and wondered where it came from? If you're thinking, "the grocery store," then read on to learn more!
Have you ever noticed that children's bodies don't change much as they grow into adults? You get bigger but for the most part, your bodies work the same way when you're five as when you're 50. Some insects, though, go through a complete metamorphosis. That means "change of form." Butterflies, for example, change their bodies completely as they mature and even their mouth parts change!
Thumbelina's Garden
You can grow many of these tiny plants in patio pots!