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Cells and Systems 6-8 / Week 08 / Nature Day
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Week 08 · Plants Make Food

Nature Day

Nature Day: Leaves in sun and shade
// Light, air and water become sugar
⏱ about 20 min

Nature Day: Leaves in Sun and Shade

Saturday morning, the crew crouches by a bush at the edge of the garden. One side faces the open sky. The other faces a fence.

"Same plant, two sides," Raven says. "What do you notice about the leaves?"

Rocket looks closely without touching. "The sunny side has more leaves. They point up. The fence side is thinner."

Nova hovers over the top of the bush. "Which side catches more light?" she asks. "And what does light become?"

"Sugar," Rocket says. "So the sunny side made more plant."

They walk the garden, pointing at every leaf turned toward the sky. Raven counts green things until she runs out of fingers.

  1. Photosynthesis uses sunlight, carbon dioxide and water to make sugar, most commonly glucose, and release oxygen.
  2. Plants, algae and some bacteria are autotrophs. Humans and all animals are heterotrophs.
  3. Photosynthesis happens in chloroplasts, mostly in the middle layer of a leaf. Chlorophyll absorbs light and makes plants green.
  4. The carbon in a plant's sugar comes from carbon dioxide in the air. Matter cycles, and energy flows in from the Sun.
  5. A covered leaf and three seed jars are running. The jars are read in week 10.
◇ FAMILY LEAF HUNT
Walk the garden or a park together. Find one plant with a sunny side and a shady side. Compare the leaves without touching.
Count how many kinds of green plants you can find in five minutes. Which ones face the light most clearly?
Look for a leaf that is yellow or pale. Talk about what might have been missing for it.
Back home, check the covered leaf is still wrapped and jars A and B are still damp.
For a grown-up
Leaves and plants are looked at, not picked, unless the plant is one your family owns. Unknown plants and berries are never touched.
Wash hands after handling any leaves or soil. The seed jars hold pantry beans, which are lab materials and not eaten.
The photosynthesis facts come from OpenStax Concepts of Biology and NASA's Earth science pages for kids, both free online.
Safety first
Never touch an insect, a nest or an unknown plant or berry. Look from where you stand.
Pick nothing unless a grown-up says the plant is yours to pick.
Wash your hands when you come back inside.
THINK IT THROUGH
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
The sunny side of the bush had more leaves. Which input of photosynthesis did that side get more of?
A leaf points toward the sky. What is it catching?
You breathed out near the bush. What did you give it?
What do plants release into the air during photosynthesis? Type one word.
WHY THIS EXERCISEEvery green leaf you counted today was releasing it.
Draw the bush with its sunny side and shady side. Show the sun, the fence and which side has more leaves.
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