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Students learn about the most important things plants need to stay healthy: water and light.
Have you ever seen a plant 'faint' and droop down, only to stand back up tall and strong after a quick drink of water?
Just like you need to drink water when you are thirsty, plants need water to stay alive! Plants do not have mouths like we do. Instead, they use their roots under the ground to soak up water from the soil. When a plant has enough water, its stem stays stiff and strong, helping it stand up tall toward the sky. If a plant has water, it cannot stay healthy.
Imagine you have small potted daisy. 1. You check the soil and feel that it is very dry. 2. You pour cup of water into the pot. 3. The roots soak up the water, and the daisy stays bright and happy!
Quick Check
Which part of the plant acts like a straw to drink water from the soil?
Answer
The roots.
Most plants also need sunlight to grow. While we eat food like apples or bread, plants use sunlight to make their own food in their green leaves! This is why many plants grow toward the window or live outside. Without light, a plant cannot get the energy it needs to grow new leaves or beautiful flowers.
You have plants. 1. You put Plant A on a sunny windowsill. 2. You put Plant B in a dark, closed closet. 3. After days, Plant A is tall and green, but Plant B looks weak and pale because it had no light breakfast!
Quick Check
Why do plants need sunlight?
Answer
To make their own food and get energy to grow.
What happens if we forget to water a plant? It starts to wilt. Wilting is when the leaves and stem get soft and droop down toward the ground. The plant might also turn brown and crunchy. This is the plant's way of showing us it is very thirsty! If it goes too long without water or light, the plant will stop growing and eventually die.
You find a plant that is drooping and has dry, brown leaves. 1. You move it to a sunny spot so it gets light. 2. You give it a good drink of water. 3. You wait day. 4. If the plant is still alive, it will use that water to 'pump up' its stem and stand tall again!
What are the two main things a plant needs to stay healthy?
What does a plant do when it is 'wilting'?
Plants use their leaves to soak up water from the soil.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, look at a plant near you. Can you remember the two things it is getting to stay green and tall?
Practice Activity
Be a 'Plant Doctor': Check the soil of a houseplant or a plant outside. If it feels dry, ask a grown-up if you can help give it a small drink of water!