Botany

Plants are almost always easily accessible, thus offering an easy way to teach observation skills in both classroom and outdoor settings. The rich colors and textures of leaves and flowers catch the attention and interest of children, and with guidance from adults, this interest can translate into development of observation and classification skills. Plants thus become springboards for learning the scientific method and understanding how ecological communities work. Resources in this section offer guidance on how to turn the plants outside (or inside) the classroom or nature center into engaging, inquiry-oriented, hands-on science lessons.