Welcome to the Great Plant Escape! My name is Bud. My good friend Sprout and I are helping Detective LePlant on his search. You will find plants are an essential part of your life.
We will need your help to find clues, do experiments, and solve problems as we journey into the world of plants. He promises lots of fun, but remember, we’re here to solve a mystery!
Good luck! We’ll be with you all the way!
Age Range: 8-11 (Designed for Grades 4-5, but can be tweaked for a broader age/ability range – with parental supervision)
The University of Illinois Extension offers this free, fun science unit that will help your students solve the mysteries of plant life!
The interdisciplinary lessons introduce kids to plant science and how foods grow while enhancing their knowledge of science, math, language arts, social studies, music, and art.
The activities are flexible and can be used separately or in an ordered manner. Some designed with independent research in mind, others are group or classroom activities that can be tweaked for the homeschool environment.
When you get to the site, click “enter” to begin the adventure. Or, if you prefer, click on the “Teacher’s Guide” on the menu to get some pointers on how to use the program. Either way, you will be introduced to six “Case Studies” as follows:
- In Search of Green Life – Find out about the interrelationships that exist between people and plants. Learn about plant structure, plant parts, plant life cycles, and growing plants indoors.
- Soiled Again – Learn about the composition of soil, nutrients in the ground, gardening indoors, and composting.
- Is It Dust, Dirt, Dandruff or a Seed? – Explore seeds, seed structure, germination, and non-flowering plants.
- Plantenstein is the Suspect – Discover how plants reproduce and learn about pollination and flower parts.
- Mysterious Parts That Surprise – Learn all about the differences and similarities between bulbs, rhizomes, and tubers.
- You’ve Learned the Mysteries of Green Life – Test your knowledge of plants and plant life and enjoy additional activities such as growing lettuce, making a salad, and building an indoor garden.
Each “Case Study” assumes the student is a detective searching to solve plant mysteries. These “Case Studies” are lessons cleverly disguised as fun activities that teach as they engage students in the process of learning about the science of plants.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
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