Introduction
Summer is among us, we enjoy the nice weather, great smell of the outdoors, and colorful scenery, but do we ever stop to reflect what makes summer so beautiful? Flowers! Flowers are very much like humans in many ways. In fact, they provide the oxygen we need to breathe the air we breathe each day. Flowers and humans have many similarities. Find a list of similarities below:
Flowers and Humans:
•Have life cycles- beginning (birth), middle (peak) and ending (death)
•Have male/female organs
•Exist in all shapes, colors and sizes
•Have roots/hair
•Have epidermis/skin
•Have xylem/veins
•Have sleep patterns, at night plants shut down (sleep)
•Get sick at times and have to be given vitamins to get better.
•An immune system that must be taken care of to promote health and longevity.
Ever wonder how they become such beautiful sites to see? It is a very exciting and fortunate fact that ANYBODY can plant a seed and grow flowers of their own! Florists are people who grow and sell flowers as a profession. They plant the seeds necessary to begin the flowers life cycle, and they maintain the seeds by providing enough sunlight and water (food) for the plants to live healthy, long lives.
Now, that you know some facts about flowers, our job is to grow flowers of our own. After we have nurtured our flowers into healthy beautiful sites to see, we will share that beauty with others by presenting our flowers to the children’s hospital for children who are sick. You will present them with the flowers and a letter or card containing facts about the similarities between flowers and human. Our goal will be to make sure that the children at the hospital know that healthy eating and consistent maintenance of our bodies will promote great health; and that, although sometimes our bodies do not cooperate, there is always hope to gain health once again, just like flowers can! You will need to research how to plant a flower, how to take care of the flower, as well as how to revive the flower if it gets sick. Hurry, flowers, like humans take time to grow, and the children are awaiting our surprise!
Is Everyone Ready? Excited?! Let’s Begin!
Academic Standards for Science and Technology:
•S4.B.1.1: Identify and Describe similarities and differences between living things and their life processes.
•S4.B.1.1.1: Identify life processes of living things (e.g., growth, digestion, respiration).
•S4.B.1.1.3: Describe basic needs of plants and animals (e.g., air, water, food).
•S4.B.1.1.5: Describe the life cycles of different organisms (e.g., moth, grasshopper, frog, seed-producing plant).
