Dandelion Study

We went through the HNS info about dandelions. It was very interesting because there were some things I had not thought about, and the one in particular that my kids had noticed and that Comstock talks about is the placement of the leaves and what that means to the plant and to its neighbors. I had never real thought about how the leaves seem to hug the ground and that really big ones don't allow anything to grow too near it.
We also discussed the stalk lengths- of the seed verses the blossom. They noticed that the seed stalk was higher, and because they studied botany this year (Jeannie Fulbright's book) my oldest immediately talked about the seed dispersal, that it was by the wind, so it needed to be higher to carry the seeds.
These "weeds" are really appreciated by all children as flowers. What mom has never received a "pitty fower" from a toddler's chubby hands only to find it was a dandelion. I have 5 boys who love to bring mom pretty things, so I have received my fair share!
The boys drew in their nature journals also, focusing on blossom and leaf, the day after the study/discussion.







I especially loved Noah's animated picture of the wind blowing a seed :)