Blog

¿Cómo comen las plantas carnívoras? / How do carnivorous plants eat?

It was so nice to visit the warm and colorful Conservatory of Flowers and stay away from the rain. We had a blast taking a close look at many carnivorous plant species and learning how they attract, kill, dissolve and digest their pray. The kids also loved learning why these plants have adapted to get their nutrients from animals. They did amazing in the (100% Spanish) “Plantas Carnívoras” scavenger hunt (please check out the pics).

Resources: (they will enjoy these videos in Spanish)

Plantas Carnivoras: Venus Atrapamoscas (2:17)

Plantas Carnivoras por Dentro (2:46)

Next Week: It looks like the sun will finally shine and we’ll head to Glen Canyon Park for a hike, geology exploration, fossil lab and earth’s history timeline to answer the question “How was the earth formed?”. I had originally planed to go to the Water Treatment Plant but it’s still closed for renovations.

Why is the sky blue?/ ¿Por qué es el cielo azul?

Our little scientists had great theories about what makes the sky blue, and they figured out that it might have to do with sun light. We discussed light wavelengths, bent light with different tools, and made rainbows everywhere we could.

Why do fish have scales/¿Por qué tienen los peces escamas?

We learned about the four major types of scales and played scale detectives with 5 different specimens. Looking at the fish scales under the microscope the students were able to identify the type of scale each fish had.

What’s at the center of the earth?/ ¿Qué hay en el centro de la tierra?

We went to Glen Canyon park to learn about geology, earth’s layers and work on a “Capas de la tierra” project to learn not only what’s at the center of the earth but also at each of the earth’s major layers.

Why do we all look so different? /¿Por qué somos todos tan diferentes?

Are corals animals? / ¿Son los corales animales?

We visited the California Academy of Sciences to learn about corals. After we discussed different theories about corals we listened to a marine scientist at the Philippine Coral Reef exhibit, and watched “Expedition Reef”, Cal Academy’s newest movie about coral reef conservation. We then headed to the cafe to revisit our hypothesis and work on a coral structure project while we munched on yummy snacks.

Do plants move?/ ¿Se mueven las plantas?

We went to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens and figured out that plants in fact move! We discussed the process of photosynthesis, its importance and how it’s the base of almost all life on earth. We also had time to do a pollinator matching game.

Is soil alive?/ ¿Está el barro vivo?

On our first session we learned that to become scientists we first must observe the world around us, wonder, and ask questions. We discussed the 7 characteristics of living things (MRS GREN 😉 ), and figured out that soil is indeed alive and filled with earthworms, fungi, bacteria and other important microorganisms!