OBJECTIVE

Students will explore sunflowers in the garden, taste the seeds, and make scientific observations of the sunflowers.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

Where do flowers come from? Why are sunflowers important in the garden? How do sunflowers help us? How can we help sunflowers?

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Sunflower observation sheet
• Colored pencils
• Sunflower seeds (edible)
• Tape measure
• Cut sunflower (or a few)

PROCEDURE

Introduction:
Welcome the students into the school garden. Ask the students to use their “science eyes” to try to find out where the sunflowers might be. Without using any voices, ask the students to guide you to the sunflowers.
How can you find the sunflowers? How do we recognize the sunflower?
Activity:
Ask students to first use their eyes to make observations of the sunflower.
What colors do you notice? What shapes do you notice? How tall do you think the sunflower is? (You can measure to show the students the height) Ask students to point to the tallest/smallest sunflower. Ask students to point to the sunflower with the biggest/smallest head. Ask students to point to the sunflower with the most leaves, etc.
Next ask students to use their hands, and their sense of touch, to make observations of the sunflower. What does the stem feel like? What do the leaves feel like? What does the head feel like? What do the petals feel like?
Next invite students to use their sense of smell to see what the sunflower smells like. Pass around the head of a sunflower so students can smell it.
Finally, invite students to use their sense of taste to make observations of the sunflower. Ask students, “should we eat the stem? The petals? The leaves? What part should we eat?”
Ask students to put their hands out and give each a few sunflower seeds to taste. Show students how to crack open the sunflower seed to find what is inside.
Wrap Up/Assessment:
Students complete a drawing of the sunflower. Remind students that when they are doing a “science drawing” they are only drawing what they see. Ask students what color crayons they might use. Review some of their observations. Hand out the cut sunflower(s) so students can look at the flower to make their drawing.

FOLLOW UP & EXTENSIONS

Sunflower sprouts, observations, measuring and tasting (2-3classes)

Spring: Planting sunflowers in the school garden