This week in Aspen we continued our Botany lessons by taking a closer look at leaves. The Aspen students learned that leaves are a very important part of a tree. Leaves have a very special job, they are like nature’s little solar panels. They help plants to make food and grow. Aspen discovered that leaves need three important things in order to perform their job. Leaves need sunlight, water (rain), and carbon dioxide from the air. We learned that as they perform their job, leaves engage in something called photosynthesis. Through photosynthesis leaves convert the sunlight , water, and carbon dioxide into a chemical energy while creating oxygen and energy in the form of a sugar called glucose. This glucose is then used by the leaf to make cellulose and starch.This then makes food for the tree to grow healthy and strong. At the same time, leaves also produce something called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is what gives the leaf its green color! Aspen then discussed that something really amazing is happening to our leaves this time of year. The Aspen students pointed out that our leaves are not all green right now! Some are turning colors, they are turning red, yellow, and orange! The Aspen students then asked a couple of questions, Why are they changing colors and why are they falling off of the trees? Through our research and various classroom activities, Aspen discovered that the leaves are changing color because the leaves are no longer producing chlorophyll. As the chlorophyll breaks down the red, yellow, and orange colors show through changing the color of the leaves! Furthermore, Aspen learned the terms deciduous and coniferous. Deciduous trees are the trees that are currently changing colors and loosing their leaves and coniferous trees stay green all year long like pine trees and evergreens.
After learning all of this interesting information the Aspen class then took a closer look at the parts of a leaf. We used our leaf puzzle, leaf classification cards, and the labeling materials to name and identify each part of a leaf. First, we learned to identify the blade of a leaf. The blade is the flat, wide part of the leaf. It’s like a big, green solar panel that catches all sunlight. The blade is the part that helps the plant make food using sunlight, water, and air. We then identified the veins in a leaf and learned that the veins are the tiny lines you see on a leaf. They look like little roads. These veins carry water and nutrients from the stem to the rest of the leaf. We found that the part of a leaf called the midrib is the big vein that runs down the middle of the leaf. It’s like the leaf’s backbone, giving it support and helping it stay strong. Finally, the part of a leaf called the petiole is the little stalk that attaches the leaf to the plant’s stem. Think of it as the leaf’s handle. It helps hold the leaf up and connects it to the rest of the plant. Aspen then discussed leaf margins. The leaf margin is the edge of the leaf. It can be smooth, wavy, or even have little teeth like a saw. Each type of leaf has a different margin, making them unique! We then applied all of our leaf knowledge outdoors as we went on a leaf hunt! The Aspen students found leaves on our playground and then matched them to their corresponding leaf margins! We also collected leaves to explore the parts of a leaf, made leaf rubbings, and leaf ghosts ! It was a very busy and informational week in Aspen! Ask your little Botanist what they learned this week!
Next week we will be talking turkey! We will enter the month of November learning all about turkeys and Thanksgiving! See you next week!
REMINDER – NO SCHOOL NEXT FRIDAY! ( TEACHER IN-SERVICE DAY)
Finding leaves and matching Leaf Margins!
Meet Charlotte, Mr. John’s tarantula ! Charlotte visited the Aspen room Friday afternoon for a fascinating lesson on spiders!
Making phonetic words with the Moveable Alphabet and then practicing handwriting skills by writing them on lined paper.
Addition fun with the Colored Bead Bars!