Plants for Primary Pupils

Games

Games in the booklets are often quite short and give a bit of fun, but they can have their serious side. They can be used for starter or plenaries or give a chance for formative assessment. They reinforce understanding and can help get the children involved. Some games, like Seeds and chaffinches (Figure 10), give a chance for the children to let off a bit of steam. Card games in the early booklets help give ways of learning vocabulary and matching similar items, as words or as pictures. This can lead to links with literacy. Old favourites, such as ‘Snakes and ladders’ or ‘Happy families’, find new life as Vines and Villains (the vines are the growing bean plants and the slugs become the villains) or Plant Quartet. Here, striking colour photos encourage children to become familiar with some common flower names and while they collect the families, they learn about what plants need to grow successfully. A ‘Food chain’ game is in the pipeline for the final booklet Plants in their natural environment.
 

Some games are more active and these should help children enjoy learning . . . for example, about pollination (The pollination game) or start thinking about seed dispersal (The sultana game) - lots of children like being busy squirrels, especially if there is a reward.                                                                    

Some games are more active and these should help children enjoy learning . . . for example, about pollination (The pollination game) or start thinking about seed dispersal (The sultana game) - lots of children like being busy squirrels, especially if there is a reward.

Figure 10 - Seeds and chaffinches

Plants for Primary Pupils - Literacy