Plants

Looking for Lichens (PDF)

Have you ever seen lichens growing on rocks, trees, or other structures? These organisms are known as “composite organisms” because they are made up of two parts: fungi and algae that live together. The algae can photosynthesize, or turn light from the sun into energy. The algae share this energy with the fungus that provides it a home.

There are over 14,000 species of lichens all around the world, and 1,200 of these species live in California! There are lichens of all different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures in our area.

How many of these species can you find?

Pinecone Diversity (PDF)

Pine trees are closely related to some of the earliest plants on the planet! Pines and their relatives have cones that hold their seeds – not flowers, like other plants, and each pine species has its own special cones. When their seeds drop from the cones, they either sprout into new trees, or become food for birds and small mammals.

How many of these California pinecones can you recognize? Bring this guide on a hike, or collect pinecones (where allowed) to bring home and identify!

Kitchen Composting (PDF)

In nature, leaves and other plant materials fall to the ground and eventually decompose with the help of microorganisms, worms, insects, and fungi, which break them down into nutrients. These nutrients keep the soils healthy and feed new plants. We can replicate these processes at home by making compost from our yard waste and kitchen scraps in a homemade compost bin. In a few weeks, you’ll have microbe-rich soil to add to your garden or use to sprout seeds!

Save Your Seeds

Saving seeds from your favorite plants in home and school gardens is a fun end-of-the-season activity!

Follow along and learn how! (PDF)

seed saver 2 seed saver 1

Plant Observation Log

Observation Log (PDF)

How do plants respond to their environment and the seasons? What about the plants in your own yard or neighborhood?

The plants in our gardens and communities might not move and play like animals do, but they lead very exciting lives! Plants can produce new leaves and flowers, change color, attract animal visitors, and go through many other changes. This plant observation log will help you follow your favorite plants through the seasons as they grow and adapt!

Kitchen Scrap Gardening

Kitchen Scrap Activity: (PDF)

The fruits and vegetables in our kitchens are plant parts that contain nutrients and energy to keep us healthy and growing. Did you know that these same nutrients and energy can also be used to keep the plants healthy and growing too? This activity from Kids Gardening will teach you how to start your own Kitchen Scrap Garden. With some water and a little bit of care, you can turn your kitchen scraps like carrot tops, onions, avocado pits, citrus seeds and many others into a windowsill garden that will allow you to grow food from what you already have at home!

In addition to the kitchen scraps described in the activity, you can also grow herbs, greens and lettuces, and celery from your leftovers. For herbs, place the cut ends of the stems into a dark vase or other container with water and keep in a sunny place until roots start to grow from the sprigs and you can replant them into a pot with some garden soil! The bottom "cores" of cabbage, lettuce, celery, and other greens can be placed in a shallow dish of water in a sunny window until the roots form and the leaves start to resprout!

Seed Viewer

Seed Viewer: (PDF) How do seeds grow into a plant? What does this growth process look like? This activity allows Garden Detectives to explore seed germination and the development of a seedling from the energy-filled package that is a tiny bean seed. Using at-home materials, watch the emergence of the roots and stem from the seed coat that contains all the nutrients the growing seedling needs.

You can enjoy the seed-sprouting process of bean seeds indoors any time of year! If you want to test your seed viewer with different types of seeds and transplant the seedlings to continue growing them outdoors in your yard or garden, it’s important to choose crops that are appropriate for the season. We are sharing this activity in June, and here in northern California it’s not too late to start growing cucumber, corn, pepper, pumpkin, tomato, and summer squash seeds!

Radish Kids (PDF) Want to plant a seed and watch it grow? Join the Radish Kids and sing along.