The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed

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Field Trip Notes
The photographer from Plant It! Magazine is coming to photograph Ms. Frizzles class garden. But Phoebe doesnt have a plant. She wants to get her plant from the garden at her old school and replant it in her new school garden. There isnt much time, so Ms. Frizzle turns the Magic School Bus into a tiny ladybug-bus and flies the class to the other schools garden. The kids get a bugs-eye view of the flower world and find out how seeds are created, how they travel, and how they grow into plants. Will the class be able to get the seed from Phoebes plant back to their garden? Can Ms. Frizzle sprout the seed in time for the photo shoot?

Going Hands-On

Ms. Frizzles class hangs on inside the tiny Magic School Bus as it hitches a ride on a wind-traveling seed. The seed travels by clinging to an animal - in this case, a man on a bicycle!

What You Need

• Different seeds (such as maple tree, sunflower, cockleburs)
• Cups of water
• Stuffed animals
• Copies of SEEDS ON THE MOVE page

Talk About It

Ask children: Have you ever seen seeds travel? How did they move?

What To Do?

1. Each child chooses three seeds to test.
2. On the chart, children write the name of each seed and draw a picture of it.
3. Have kids guess how they think each seed travels, then circle wind, water, or hitchhiker under PREDICTION on the chart.
4. Kids test each seed and circle results under OBSERVATION on the chart.  

Wind Test: Hold the seed in the air and let it drop. If it drifts, it shows how a seed can travel by wind.

Water Test: Drop seeds into a cup of water and stir. The ones that float show how seeds can travel by water.

Hitchhiker Test: Put a stuffed animal on top of each seed, press down, then lift up the animal. The seeds that stick show how seeds can travel by sticking to an animal.

Finding Seeds
Do this activity in the autumn. You can find wind-traveling seeds from late fall flowers. Pick up hitchhikers by walking among weeds in a vacant lot of field. Buy sunflower or other seeds that can float to demonstrate how seeds can travel by water.

Next Stop

Give kids materials to make their own wind traveler, water traveler, or hitchhiker seeds. Have a friend test the seeds to find out how they travel.

Books for Teaching About Plants and Trees
This teacher created book list includes tips for classroom use.

Protecting Wild Plants and Animals | Kids' Environmental Report Card 2008
When protecting wild plants and animals, there is plenty for everyone to do. That's what the majority of kids said, when sharing their views online, as part of the Kids' Environmental Report Card poll.

LESSON PLAN

Let's Grow Plants! Poses a lesson plan in which students learn about seeds through comparative readings and directly observing seed growth.