Botany STEM Challenge
Perfect for Earth Day! Incorporate the engineering design process into your classroom or afterschool program with this extensive Botany STEM Challenge! Students put on their scientist caps to create window greenhouses and observe plant growth.
Grades: 1st - 7th
Teaching Duration: 4 hours
“Absolutely fantastic packet! I love how real terms were used and it wasn’t ‘simplified’. My third graders loved it, were challenged and really learned about plants and botany. Thank you for a great resource! ”
lesson overview
Perfect for Earth Day! Incorporate the engineering design process into your classroom or afterschool program with this extensive Botany STEM Challenge! Students put on their scientist caps to create window greenhouses and observe plant growth. Then they use the engineering design process to build a plant transportation device to safely carry their saplings home! This challange also highlights Katherine Esau, a pioneer in Botany. History, science, engineering, and math-- it is all included along with teacher instructions and student handouts.
This hands-on activity includes a design challenge that allows students to work in teams, apply the engineering design process, and connect math topics to real-world applications. As a student-driven assignment, the purpose of the teacher is to act as a facilitator. You will provide the structure to the project, but students will take an active role in designing and building a plant transportation device to hold a plant that is watered. Our students have loved this activity, and we know yours will too!
Detailed teachers guide with links to resources
Printable window greenhouse with instructions
Plant anatomy handouts
Student handouts to guide them through the engineering design process
Student recording sheets for each step of the process
Math connection problems including graphing, ratios, measurements, perimeter, area, and volume (applicable sheets in both SI and metric units).
