Project Description:

Springtime is when nature comes back to life. Trees are growing their leaves again and flowers are sprouting, displaying their beautiful colors and spreading their delightful smell. Let’s look at flowers in more detail! What parts do flowers consist of? Are all flowers alike? In this activity, you will find out by dissecting, or taking apart, a flower piece by piece.

Project Materials:

• Fresh flowering plants with large plant parts, such as roses, tulips, lilies, petunias, carnations, or irises (Three different flowering plants, 2 of each). Note: Make sure you select perfect flowers with male (stamen) and female (pistil) plant parts. If you have allergies to certain plants, make sure that you use an alternative.
• Glass or cup with water
• Paper plates (6)
• Tweezers
• Scissors
• Magnifying glass or hand lens (optional)
• Paper (optional)
• Colored pencils (optional)
• Tape (optional)

Project Instructions:

1. Label the center of each of the paper plates with one plant part (Stem, Petal, Leaf, Pistil, and Stamen). Label the last paper plate as “Other”
2. Draw lines onto each paper plate to divide it into three sections; label each section on each plate with a name of one of the three flowering plants
3. Choose one of your flowering plants and start your plant dissection. Use your hands, scissors, or tweezers and carefully take apart your plant
4. Sort each dissected part into the groups labelled on the plates. If you cannot identify a specific plant part, place it on the “Other” plate
5. When you have finished taking the first plant apart, look at all its different parts
6. Next, repeat the dissection with the remaining two flowering plants. Then compare the plant parts on each paper plate
7. Finally, take a look at all the plant parts that you placed on the “Other” plate. What do you think these plant parts are? How can you find out?