We had 3 focus questions to guide our learning. They were:
- Since plants can't go off and find a mate, where / how do we get new plants?
- How do flowers attract bees?
- How does flower pollen get to where it needs to go?
We had spent previous days building some background knowledge on bees, pollen, and the structure of a flower. We learned that plants with flowers need pollination to create new seeds that will grow into new plants. The flower of a plant is usually where reproduction occurs, so without pollination a flower cannot reproduce. Bees are the popular pollinators, but there are others, too! Such as bats, hummingbirds, and other small mammals.
We went outside to complete a relay race to simulate bee pollination (see pictures below). Students then needed to build a "creature" that could simulate pollination.
We also learned that some plants need help spreading their seeds. There are many different ways seeds can be dispersed. Including wind, clothing, animal droppings, and fur.