Attention teachers, students and parents! Can you name all of the plant parts that people eat? Listen to this song by the Banana Slug String Band to learn more. Their popular tune Roots, Stems Leaves gives a hint. Before you play it, see if you give some examples of each? Just don't peek below before you do!
Roots: carrots, beets, parsnips, rutabaga, radishes
Leaves: lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, cabbage
Stems: asparagus, kohlrabi, bamboo shoots, nopales (cactus), sugar cane
Flowers: artichoke, cauliflower, broccoli, nasturtiums, calendula (pot marigold)
Fruits: peaches, persimmons, jujubes, kiwis, tomatoes (yep, anything that comes from a flower, even zucchini!)
Seeds: sunflower seeds, soy nuts, walnuts, sesame seeds, peas, pomegranates
Humans are so resourceful, we also eat plant bark. Bark is a protective layer of cells on a tree or shrub. The photo pictured is a type of bark. Do you know what *it is?
*cinnamon
More Plant Part Teaching Ideas:
Edible Art (lesson and video)
Six Plant Part Skit (video of a lesson)