Saturday SAVY, Day 1, Plants and Pollen (1st-2nd)
We had a wonderful first day with all our Agricultural Engineers.
We started our morning meeting by introducing ourselves, and we got to know each other through an interesting fact everyone shared about themselves. We then ascertained norms for our time together, and students worked in teams to produce posters to remind us to Be Kind, Work Together, Listen to Each Other, and Share.
We then read Mariana Becomes a Butterfly and discussed where the book is set and that the tropical climate of the Dominican Republic is suitable for growing an array of plants. We plotted the Dominican Republic on a world map, as well as Hawaii, where Mariana’s ohelo plant is from. We learned about pollination and what part of the pollination system is missing for Mariana’s plant.
We observed lilies and identified the stigma, pollen dusters, and parts of the flower. Students enjoyed “dissecting” flowers and using their magnifying glasses to identify the parts involved in pollination.
The students were then given a marble, eraser, tape, foil, pompom, and a pipe cleaner to test which material will make a good hand pollinator. They tested the materials by touching them onto baking soda (representing pollen) then tapping them over a flower representation to compare the amount of “pollen” dropped off from each material. They then recorded their results, which will be used when designing their hand pollinators in our next classes.
I am excited for our next two Saturdays when we will build on knowledge of pollination, pollinators, and plants and put our agricultural engineering knowledge to use in designing a hand pollinator.
Questions to ask your Agricultural Engineer about today:
- Where did your instructor, Dr. Kent, grow up? What other interesting facts did your friends in the course tell you about themselves?
- What norm did you and your team create as a poster?
- Can you describe where the Dominican Republic and Hawaii are?
- Describe the Ohelo plant and where is it from?
- What is pollination?
- How do plants produce seeds?
- Which of the different materials you tested held the most pollen? How do you think you will use that material to build a hand pollinator if there aren’t insects to pollinate the ohelo plant?
We look forward to seeing you again on Saturday to continue our learning and exploration of plants and pollen!