Ready... Steady... GROW!

Key Stage 1; Year 3 and 4

Take a journey around Hillier Gardens and discover the wide variety of plants growing here. Be a plant scientist and investigate plants, what they need to grow and how we sort and name them.

Learning Outcomes

Year 3 pupils will be able to:

  • identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers
  • explore the requirements of plants for life and growth (air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant
  • investigate the way in which water is transported within plants
  • explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal.

Year 4 pupils will be able to:

  • recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways
  • explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment
  • recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.
Activities

A day’s programme does not necessarily include all the listed activities and can be adapted to suit individual needs and requirements. Normally we fit in four to five activities during your visit.

Activities Description and learning objectives
Decay Game Work as a team to play a game and learn about the decomposition of plants and the recycling of nutrients.
Hedgerow investigation Using pictures and keys, learn to identify common plants and animals in a hedgerow.
How do I measure a tree? Use a range of scientific equipment and methods to take measurements of different trees and investigate what this tells us about them.
Leaf slides Let’s take a closer look at different leaves and compare their similarities and differences. What does this tell us?
Light Meters Use scientific equipment to investigate the effect that light has on where plants grow.
Parts of a Flower Dissect a flower and identify and understand the different parts.
Plants and their uses enquiry Compare different plants and draw scientific conclusions about their value.
Seed Dispersal Explore the different ways plants disperse their seeds through a group drama activity.
Seed Survival Game Play an interactive game to explore the many hazards that seedlings face in their fight for survival! What could you do to help them out?
Seed Dynamics & Bee game Learn about the life cycle of a plant and the different plant structures (from roots to petals to seeds again)
Habitat Survival Game Work as a team to look at the factors that affect a habitat. Will it help or harm? Is change always good?
Tree Dynamics Discover what is going on under the bark of a tree… Learn the different parts of a tree and their functions as we conduct a tree orchestra.

Prefer a day with some cross-curricular activities? Take a look at our other Year 3/4 programmes and we’ll plan the day accordingly.

Suggested pre-visit activities
  • Be familiar with the names of the different parts of a plant
  • Plant bulbs and/or seeds and investigate what they need to grow
  • Use different keys and ways of sorting everyday items.

Learn the main groups scientists divide plants and trees into:

  • Trees: Evergreen and deciduous
  • Plants: Mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants.
Suggested post-visit activities
  • Create a plant diary to record the growth of a plant using drawing, writing etc
  • Investigate which plants provide food for humans and which part of the plant we eat
  • Follow how water is taken up through a plant using food colouring!
  • Make models of different ways that seeds are dispersed. Can you mimic it?
  • Get out into your school grounds to see what plants you can identify. Compare this to plants seen on your trip to us or in your own garden. Create a key to help others identify the trees and plants in your school grounds.
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