In my world, education is interesting, the choices are endless and everyone learns at their own pace, in a way that works for them
Observing a Strawberry
- The leaves on the hull are fuzzy. ("Hull" is a new word we learned. The hull is the leafy part of the strawberry.)
- There are "little black things", or "hairs" sticking out of the strawberries.
- It feels "bumpy"
- It smells "yummy"
In the process of observing the strawberries the kids discovered something extra that was not included in the ebook. Strawberries can be used to create art :) They had fun making their strawberry art by rolling their strawberry or, at times, smooshing their strawberry on the paper. Art and some sensory fun too :)
Grow a Strawberry Plant From Seeds
When we were done observing our strawberries we picked the seeds out with tweezers and placed them on a paper towel to dry out. Once they were completely dry we planted them in a planter. We are hoping to have fresh strawberries growing in our house in a few months :)
Extract DNA From a Strawberry
- What is DNA?
- Where do you find DNA?
- What kinds of things have DNA?
- What does DNA do for you?
We talked about why strawberries are a "living thing" and therefore they also have DNA, just like people and animals. Then we did our experiment.
It was interesting to see the swirling DNA, and I also found it interesting to notice that the children were using their different senses to observe what was happening. They did not just watch it, they also smelled it and seemed even more observant than usual. I think this was because of our strawberry observation that we had done prior to the DNA extraction.
Experimenting With Strawberries
- Sugar - When they looked at the sugar strawberries they observed that the "sugar melted in." When they ate them they described the taste with these words: "Yum!" "Sweet." "Soft."
- Lemon juice - We did not notice any changes in the way the strawberries looked with lemon juice on them, but their reactions to the taste were varied. Little Man's face puckered right up when he ate his while Princess said, "It was great!" She loves eating sour stuff.
- Salt - When we observed the strawberries covered in salt the kids noticed that "It turned purple" and "some of it dissolved." Their reactions to the taste test were hilarious and instantaneous, with all three children running for the sink to spit it out and get a drink. They said it tasted "horrible!" and "definitely not sweet!"
Strawberry Facial
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