Herbivores are important to ecosystems because they transfer energy stored in plant matter to other organisms. However, when herbivores occur in high abundances, they can become pests and harm the plants that form the basis of food webs. Mangroves are saltwater tolerant trees found along most tropical and subtropical shorelines. Because mangroves…

Taking objects apart including old electronics, product packing, and living plants, helps children understand how things work. Documenting this "unbuilding" or "deconstructing" encourages children to first consider the entire object, then the parts, and finally, the purpose of the parts. This article provides a lesson based on…

Presents a number of simple exercises that demonstrate potato tuber characteristics and are designed for high school biology students and teachers. Exercises include Typing, Grading, Shape, Eye Characteristics, Defects, Specific Gravity, Dry Matter Content, Glucose Content, Baking, Frying/Chipping, and Taste Testing. (JRH)

Highlights glucosinolates-a family of secondary metabolites from plants of high culinary and nutritional value. Describes experiments that demonstrate the enzymatic degradation of glucosinolates. Teaches students about the distribution, variation, chemistry, and function of a family of natural products important in plant protection, food spicing,…

This activity involves elementary students in an investigation of the usefulness of plant parts as a food source. An introduction discusses the dependence of animal life on plants. Materials needed and step-by-step procedure are provided. (LZ)

This guide is a work in progress; to be continually updated with further information (more stimulating experiments and unusual facts), consequently not every page will have a corresponding page in the activity book. It was created to provide teachers with a useful, informative resource regardless of their educational emphasis. It aims at helping…

Wild foods are ubiquitous motivational tools for teaching botany, environmental education, cultural foodways, and survival. Edible wild plants are wild plants endowed with one or more parts that can be used for food if gathered at the appropriate stage of growth and properly prepared. The components of this definition are discussed with…

Presents material for a talk and demonstration about the relationship of potato types to their different uses by consumers and processors. Includes background information for the instructor and discussions to accompany classroom exercises. Discusses the history of the potato, potato types and external characteristics, and internal characteristics…

Gardening helps children learn how plants sprout, grow, bloom, and then wither away, leaving seeds behind. Participating in this natural process allows children to experience the stages of life. Suggested gardening activities include studying dandelions, focusing on culture for garden plant selection, and constructing a worm box or worm terrarium…

Of this series of Science Readers, Books I, II, and III are adapted to secondary grades comprising pupils who are in their third and fourth years of school work. Both the reading and the subject matter of Books IV, V, and VI are suitable for grammar grades. The lessons in Books IV, V, and VI contain lessons sufficiently full and definite to enable…

Of this series of Science Readers, Books I, II, and III are adapted to secondary grades comprising pupils who are in their third and fourth years of school work. Both the reading and the subject matter of Books IV, V, and VI are suitable for grammar grades. The lessons in Books IV, V, and VI contain lessons sufficiently full and definite to enable…

Advocates including plants at several trophic levels when studying food chains. Presents background information on parasitic plants, myco-heterophytes (saprophytes), and carnivorous plants. Contains 20 references. (WRM)

This guide contains hands-on science activities to connect middle-school students to the traditional knowledge of their grandparents and elders. Because girls often lose interest in science at the middle-school level, and because women in some communities (especially in rural areas) are seldom involved in work with an obvious science basis, the…

This two-volume resource guide is designed to help K-6 and ESL teachers implement multicultural whole language learning through thematic social studies units. The four chapters in Volume 1 address universal themes: (1) "Climates and Seasons: Watching the Weather"; (2) "Trees and Plants: Our Rich, Green World"; (3) "Animals around the World: Tame,…

Uses ethnic recipes to analyze new and old world post-Columbian exchange of domesticated plants and animals in an introductory cultural geography course. Describes student research projects and includes tables of domesticated plants and animals by region and use. Also provides two student sample recipes with lists of ingredient origins. (NL)