Studies show that exposure to nature has a significant positive impact on a child’s cognitive, social, physiological, and emotional development. In Montessori education, botany is an integral part of the program. Children are encouraged to take nature walks regularly and observe in real life how nature unfolds. Because children receive formal education about the characteristics and the needs of living organisms such as plants, they are well aware and enthusiastic about their surroundings. This post aims to demonstrate how Alison’s Montessori Curriculum Materials are comprehensive and scaffolded, satisfying years of learning.
Materials
- The Structure of a Leaf Puzzle with Nomenclature Cards (6-9)
- The Process of Photosynthesis Puzzle with Nomenclature Cards (6-9)
- Parts of a Leaf Puzzle with Nomenclature Cards (6-9)
- Parts of a Plant Cell Puzzle with Nomenclature Cards (6-9)
- Life of a Maple Leaf Puzzle
Storage materials:
Starting in the primary level years, children ages 3-6 learn about the Parts of a Leaf, and the needs of a plant through simple activities where they compare plants grown with different variables (sun/no sun/water/no water.) They naturally come to the conclusion that a plant is a living organism that has needs: water, light, and nutrients. Various materials such as a Montessori puzzle, coloring charts, booklet making, or nomenclature cards are used to consolidate a child’s knowledge.
Parts of a Leaf Puzzle – Elementary
There is still so much more to learn about leaves! The previous preliminary works pave the foundation for many years of botanical studies. At Alison’s Montessori, we provide hands-on materials that appeal to children and allow them to repeat and integrate fundamental knowledge to own these concepts permanently. Elementary children are eager to learn, especially if it involves hands-on activities. Our materials on Parts of the Leaf for the elementary level is a more sophisticated version of the knobbed puzzle for primary learners. The materials include new terms and new parts, with enticing descriptions: stem, petiole, margin, veins, axil, leaf lamina, venules, midrib, base, and apex.
Parts of a Plant Cell
After revisiting the parts of a leaf, children are ready for more complex concepts. They will learn about the characteristics and needs of plants, and the functions of each part through the Botany Impressionistic Charts. They will also be introduced to plant classification through the Plant Kingdom Chart. They will learn about the Parts of a Plant Cell, which differ from other cells with their rigid membrane structure. Children enjoy putting Parts of a Plant Cell puzzle back together. They begin to remember the parts, their locations, and their functions within a cell which is crucial in biology. After they learned about the leaf’s functions and plant cells, it becomes evident that many activities are occurring within the plants: photosynthesis, transpiration, guttation, and food storage.
The Structure of a Leaf
How fascinating is a leaf? Invite children to learn about the layers of a leaf with our exclusive puzzle, The Structure of a Leaf. The leaf is composed of many layers and intricate networks that allow chemical compounds (water, gas, nutrients) to circulate and ensure the good functioning of a plant. Along with the nomenclature cards 6-9, The Structure of a Leaf puzzle offers a complete study that explains where sugar is produced and stored, how gases enter and leave the plant, and how the plant process what is collected from the roots. The puzzle, like all our science puzzles, contains a control chart that children deconstruct and use to reconstruct the puzzle. They are able to manipulate and isolate each part of the leaf structure which appears complex and difficult otherwise. Each moveable part of the puzzle can be accompanied by a nomenclature description card. The nomenclature cards set includes a control chart, a backline master, a booklet, a reproducible booklet and covers the following parts: cuticle, upper epidermis, chloroplasts, vein, phloem, xylem, stomata, lower epidermis, dermal tissue, palisade mesophyll, spongy mesophyll, and guard cell.
The Process of Photosynthesis
Learning about the deepest layers of a leaf before delving into the study of photosynthesis creates a meaningful experience with lasting effects. Later in the elementary years, children will have learned about basic chemistry and will be able to understand how carbon dioxide and oxygen operate within a plant leaf to allow for food production. Through a slow introduction to all parts and processes of a plant using our material The Process of Photosynthesis, it is with ease that children comprehend complex concepts such as photosynthesis. With a plethora of new terminology and concepts, children are equipped to research more in-depth different topics such as osmosis, turgor pressure, leaf pigmentation, plants hormones, etc.
Finally, we are confident that any learner would be excited to learn about the leaf color changing process! That is why we created Life of a Maple Leaf which retraces the chemical changes that a leaf undergoes during seasonal drops of temperature and light reduction. Life of a Maple Leaf material consists of a wooden puzzle depicting 6 different leaves and Research Cards. Research Cards aim to provide basic knowledge and fun facts that will encourage children to research more on their own!
This concludes our post on the Study of Leaves. We hope you have found the topic fascinating, and are ready to share it with your learners! For more science materials, please visit our website at www.alisonsmontessori.com
