This summer, students from a local elementary school just by the coast from where we are came for a field trip to learn about the local ecology and be immersed in nature. We needed fresh leaves for that activity, and so we drove the truck at 6 a.m. to find leaves of all kinds – in different leaf arrangements, texture, size, edge shape, thickness, and color. These are known as morphological leaf traits, an adaptation to the local environment to increase a plant’s survival and ensure its reproductive success. In the case of the leaf, well, a leaf trait is to optimize light capture and growth. Everything comes with a cost though, one leaf trait works best under a set of environmental conditions, but at a cost of some other traits. It was surprising to know that in just one hour, we had to stop because we had more than enough! In just one hour, we found more than 40 different plant leaves. They were leaves of ferns, shrubs, herbs, and woody trees. When we got back, we displayed all the leaves on two big rectangular tables.
Then, we had to prepare for another part of the activity. Just like the seed activity, we tied bags with leaf samples inside on trees along the road for them to find. This time, kids had to answer a question about the plant the bag was tied to, and if they got the right answer, they could run to find the next tree. Preparation work was done.
When the kids arrived, they listened about leaves and how it's similar to a human’s mouth – they open their stomata to intake nutrients in order to grow just like how we need food to grow. The kids were most curious about leaves that were unique from the others, the ones that had a strong taste or a really cool story. We emphasized that by looking at leaves, we can make informative inferences on what kind of plant it is, whether it is sun-loving or not, and whether it is preferred by various browsers or not. We gave students the tools to help them get to know a plant so that in the future, they can get to know a plant without learning its name (even though a name is still important!) This activity aimed to encourage kids to use their senses to engage with plants.
The kids rushed from one tree to the next without giving adequate time to answer our questions! They were very excited to climb trees and hear about different oak species. We all took turns to climb a tree for a photo.
At the end of the activity, we asked kids what was the most memorable piece of information they took away. Most kids said they remembered the story of Acacia confusa and its chemical properties, others said they will remember to taste leaves to know which group of plants it could belong to. Another kid said he found the story about the sensitive plant’s (Mimosa pudica) ability to learn was fascinating.
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