What it shows
Plants and their parts come in many sizes, shapes and colours. Collecting and sorting fallen things makes us look closely and notice differences.
The science
Living things differ in colour, shape and size, and this variety is called diversity. A leaf can be thin or fat, smooth or rough, long or round. By collecting fallen parts we study the plants without harming them. Labelling and grouping by a clear rule is the first step of classification, which scientists use.
Materials
Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- A flat cardboard tray or a shoebox lid (free)
- A cloth bag or a polythene bag for collecting
- Double-sided tape or glue
- Sticky labels or paper strips and a pencil
- A magnifying glass if you have one
Safety
For this project: An adult must come on the walk. Pick up only fallen leaves, seeds and twigs. Do not pick flowers from plants, touch mushrooms or handle anything with thorns or insects.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesStep by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Walk with an adult to a park, a garden or a quiet road with trees.
Pick up only fallen things: five leaves, two seeds, a twig and a feather if you find one.
Bring everything home and wash your hands.
Stick each item on the tray with tape, with space between them.
Look with the magnifying glass and write one thing you notice on each label.
Group them by a rule: leaves with smooth edges, leaves with rough edges, seeds and others.
Name any that you know, and ask a grown-up about the rest.
Show your tray to the family and tell where you found each item.
What you should see
You have a labelled tray with at least eight natural items grouped by a rule, and you can name at least two of the plants.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
1Why did you pick up only fallen things?
So we do not hurt living plants.
2How did you group your leaves?
By edge, size or shape. Say the rule that you used.
3What does a seed do?
It can grow into a new plant.
4What did the magnifying glass help you see?
Tiny lines on leaves and small details we cannot see easily.
Take it further
Repeat the walk in another season, such as after the monsoon, and compare the two trays.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
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