Week 06 · Wednesday: Plants and Pets (Home Helpers 3 to 5)

Wednesday: Read your plant

Lizzy stands between two pots. One plant droops with soggy soil. The other droops with soil like dust.

Samantha the Squirrel scratches her head. "They look the same! Both sad."

"Both droop," Lizzy agrees. "But the soil tells two different stories. One got too much. One got too little. Reading a plant means looking at the leaves and the soil together."

Plants talk with their leaves

A plant cannot speak, but it shows how it feels. The leaves and the soil are its words.

A helper reads both, then decides what to do. When unsure, ask a grown-up.

What you see	What to check	What to try
Droopy leaves, dry soil	Finger test says dry	Water slowly onto the soil
Droopy leaves, soggy soil	Saucer is full	Empty the saucer and wait
Leaves lean toward the window	Which side gets light?	Turn the pot a quarter turn
Dusty leaves	Wipe one leaf and compare	Wipe gently with a damp cloth
Yellow or brown leaves	Soil and light	Ask a grown-up to look with you

Droopy does not always mean thirsty. Check the soil before you pour.
Turning the pot now and then helps the plant grow evenly.
Dust blocks light. A gentle wipe lets the leaves work.

Safety first

Ask a grown-up before touching or wiping any plant.
Wipe leaves with water only, never a cleaner.
Wash hands when you finish.

PLANT READING

Read the question.
Tap your answer.

Droopy leaves and soggy soil. What do you try?

The leaves all lean toward the window. What helps?

Leaves are turning yellow. What is the best first step?

Writing a log entry

A good log entry does three things. It says the date, what you saw, and what you did.

Here is Lizzy's entry for the soggy plant.

Lizzy's log entry

Day 4. Leaves droopy. Soil soggy, saucer full. I emptied the saucer and did not water.

What does a plant use to show how it feels?

What blocks light on a dusty leaf?

In Lizzy's entry, what did she do about the water?

PUT THE PARTS OF A LOG ENTRY IN ORDER.

?What you did
?The date
?What you saw

WHY THIS EXERCISEDate, saw, did is the same order every time, so entries are easy to compare.

Statement	True or false?
Droopy leaves always mean the plant is thirsty.	?
Turning the pot helps the plant grow evenly.	?
You wipe leaves with a cleaning spray.	?
A log entry says what you saw and what you did.	?

WHY THIS EXERCISECareful reading and honest logging keep a plant healthy over weeks.

How far should you turn a leaning plant's pot?

WHY THIS EXERCISEA quarter turn gives a new side of the plant the best light.

MATCH THE SIGN TO THE ACTION

Read the question.
Tap your answer.

Dusty leaves. What do you try?

Droopy leaves, dry soil. What do you try?

Try it

With a grown-up, look at one plant at home. Find one row of the table that matches it.
Say what you see, what you checked and what you would try.

Write a log entry for a plant at home or your seed cup. Date, what you saw, what you did.

You can read a plant now! Tomorrow Lizzy brings out the pet care chart.