Seed Distribution
Plants cannot move, so they
rely on outside forces to get their seeds from one place to another. Generally, plants try to spread their seeds
far from the parent plant to give it the best chance of survival. The new plant is more likely to find adequate
sunlight and nutrients, away from its parent which is already using those
resources. This of course, is only a
general rule, and some plants specialize in growing in the shade of adult
plants. These activities will help your
campers to appreciate how plants use their environment to ensure survival.
Some plants distribute their
seeds using the power of wind. Ask your
campers to think of seeds that move about by air, dandelions and maples being
perhaps the most obvious. Challenge your
campers to see how they stack up against the wind as a seed distributor. First, hand out maple whirligigs and start a
contest to see who can keep the maple seed in the air the longest, by using any
means of creating additional airflow.
Also challenge the campers to see who can move the seed the furthest
distance. Try the same competitions with
parachutes style seeds, such as dandelions.
Ask the campers which one is easiest to disperse.
Other plants disperse seeds by
attaching them to animals using small hooks on the seeds (much like the Velcro
on young children's shoes). Have a few
examples ready to share with the children and then ask the campers to find
partners for a race. Together the
partners represent a four legged mammal walking through the woods. Hand out tennis balls representing small burs
and instruct the campers to find a way to support as many balls as possible
between their bodies. A camper is not
allowed to hold a ball under their arm, but the ball must be pressed his arm
and his partner's. The group that can
get the most balls on their body and then walk thirty feet winds the game.
Plants also use fruit as a
ruse for distributing seeds. Animals
come by, eat the fruits and seeds, and then later in its travels the animals
defecate the seeds onto the ground where they can hopefully grow. Ask your campers to be alert for fruits, and
perhaps you can lead them to some blackberry bushes where the campers can participate
in the first part of seed distribution first hand. Look for examples of animal scat and perhaps
show campers the seeds that successfully pas through the digestive system.