Plants

Habari Mwanafunzi! Welcome to the Amazing World of Plants!

Have you ever eaten a delicious chapati, a sweet mango, or enjoyed a bowl of githeri? If you have, then you have a plant to thank! Plants are all around us, from the tall acacia trees in the savanna to the sukuma wiki growing in a nearby shamba. They are silent, hardworking heroes that make life on Earth possible. Today, we are going to be detectives and uncover their amazing secrets. Let's dig in!

Meet the Plant Family: Parts and Their Jobs

Just like you have a head, hands, and legs that do different jobs, a plant also has different parts. Each part is super important for the plant to live and grow. Let's look at the main team members of a typical plant, like a bean plant (maharagwe).

• The Roots (Mizizi): These are the anchors! They grow downwards into the soil to hold the plant firmly in place. They are also like straws, sucking up water and important minerals from the soil for the plant to drink.
• The Stem (Shina): This is the plant's highway! It supports the leaves and flowers, holding them up to the sunlight. It transports water from the roots to the leaves, and food from the leaves to the rest of the plant. Think of the strong stem of a maize plant!
• The Leaves (Majani): This is the plant's kitchen! Leaves are where the magic of food-making happens. They are usually green because they contain a special substance called chlorophyll which helps them capture sunlight.
• The Flowers (Maua): These are the pretty, colourful parts of some plants, like the hibiscus or jacaranda. Their main job is reproduction. Their bright colours and sweet smells attract insects like bees, which help in making seeds.
• The Fruits and Seeds (Matunda na Mbegu): After the flower does its job, a fruit can grow. The fruit protects the seeds inside. When you eat a juicy mango and throw the seed away, you might be helping to plant a brand new mango tree!

Image Suggestion: A vibrant, colourful educational diagram of a bean plant. Clearly label the roots, stem, leaves, flower, and a bean pod (fruit). The style should be clear and simple, like a page from a modern science textbook for Kenyan students.

        ,`'-,
       /   |
      /    /
     /    /            .--.
    /    /             |   | -> Flower (Ua)
   /    /             .--.
  /    /     .-.      |   |
 /    /      | |'.    '--'
/    /       | |  '._.--.
\   /        | |       |
 '-,.        | |       | -> Leaf (Jani)
    \        | |       |
     \       | |    .--.
      \      | |    |  |
       \     | |    |  | -> Stem (Shina)
        \    | |    '--'
         \   | |
          \  | |
           \ | |
   .-"-.   _)| |
  /     '-'  | |
 ;   ;     _,' |
 |'-'|   ,'    |
 ;   ; V       ;
  \   \       /
   '._.'     /
      \     /
       '---'  -> Roots (Mizizi)

How Plants Cook Their Food: The Magic of Photosynthesis

Unlike us, plants don't have to go to the market or cook on a jiko. They make their own food using a fantastic process called photosynthesis. 'Photo' means 'light' and 'synthesis' means 'to make'. So, they are literally "making with light"!

Here is the secret recipe:

1. Ingredient 1: Carbon Dioxide. The plant breathes this in from the air through tiny holes in its leaves.
2. Ingredient 2: Water. The roots suck this up from the soil.
3. Ingredient 3: Sunlight. The chlorophyll in the leaves traps energy from the sun.

The leaf (the kitchen) uses the sunlight's energy to mix the carbon dioxide and water to make a type of sugar called glucose. This is the plant's food! As a wonderful bonus, this process releases Oxygen, the gas that we need to breathe.

[Sunlight Energy]
      |
      V
[Carbon Dioxide from Air] + [Water from Soil]  ---(in the leaf)--> [Glucose (Food)] + [Oxygen into Air]

Image Suggestion: An animated-style diagram showing photosynthesis. A happy sun shines on a large green leaf. Arrows show Carbon Dioxide (CO2) going into the leaf and Oxygen (O2) coming out. Another arrow shows water (H2O) coming up the stem to the leaf. Inside the leaf, show a little "sugar cube" icon to represent glucose being made.

Let's Get Practical: Maths on the Shamba

Imagine you are helping your grandmother on her small farm (shamba). She has planted 30 sukuma wiki plants. She tells you that each plant needs about 0.5 litres of water every day to grow strong and healthy. How much water do you need for all the plants for one whole week?

Let's do the maths together!

Step 1: Calculate the total water needed per day.
   - Number of plants: 30
   - Water per plant: 0.5 Litres
   - Total water per day = 30 plants * 0.5 Litres/plant
   - Total water per day = 15 Litres

Step 2: Calculate the total water needed for a week.
   - A week has 7 days.
   - Total water per week = (Water per day) * 7 days
   - Total water per week = 15 Litres/day * 7 days
   - Total water per week = 105 Litres

Answer: You will need 105 litres of water for the sukuma wiki for one week!

See? Science and Maths work together, even in the garden!

Plants are Our Heroes! Why They Matter So Much in Kenya

Plants are more than just green things. They are essential to our lives, our culture, and our country. Here’s why we must protect them:

• Food (Chakula): This is the most obvious one! Maize for our ugali, beans for githeri, potatoes for mokimo, tea from Kericho, coffee from Nyeri, and delicious fruits like mangoes and passion fruit. Our entire food system depends on plants.
• Clean Air: Plants are Earth's lungs. They breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out the oxygen we need to live. A walk through a forest like Karura or Ngong Forest feels so fresh because of all the oxygen from the trees!
• Medicine (Dawa): For generations, people have used plants for medicine. The Mwarubaini (Neem tree) is famous in Kenya for its healing properties.
• Resources: We get timber from trees like Cypress and Pine to build our homes and make furniture. We also get charcoal for fuel from wood.
• Our Environment: Plant roots hold the soil tightly, preventing it from being washed away by rain (soil erosion). They provide shade on hot days and homes for birds and other animals.

A Kenyan Hero: Wangari Maathai

Have you heard of the great Professor Wangari Maathai? She won the Nobel Peace Prize for her amazing work. She saw that many trees were being cut down, which was bad for the environment and for the people, especially women who had to walk further for firewood. She started the Green Belt Movement and encouraged people, mainly women, to plant trees. They planted millions and millions of trees across Kenya! Her story teaches us that one person, with one small seed, can make a huge difference.

Your Turn to be a Scientist!

The best way to learn about plants is to grow one yourself! Find a bean seed (the kind used for githeri is perfect).

1. Take an old tin, plastic cup, or kimbo container.
2. Make a few small holes at the bottom for water to drain.
3. Fill it with soil from outside.
4. Push the bean seed about 2 cm into the soil and cover it.
5. Add a little bit of water. Keep the soil moist but not soaking wet.
6. Place it where it can get some sunlight.

Observe it every day. In a few days, you will see a tiny plant start to sprout! You have just witnessed the miracle of life. Keep a small notebook and draw how it changes each day. Happy planting, mwanasayansi (scientist)!

Habari Mwanafunzi! Welcome to the Amazing World of Plants!

Have you ever eaten a juicy mango on a hot day, or enjoyed a warm plate of ugali with sukuma wiki? Have you looked up at the tall acacia trees on the savanna or the beautiful jacaranda trees that paint our towns purple? If you have, then you already know how important plants are! They are not just green things that grow in the ground; they are our silent, hardworking friends who give us food, clean air, and so much more. Today, we are going on an exciting safari into the life of plants. Let's begin!

The Parts of a Plant: A Team with a Mission

Just like your body has different parts that do different jobs (your legs for walking, your hands for writing), a plant also has different parts, and each one has a very important mission. Let's look at the main team members!

           /-- फ्लावर (Flower) - Helps in reproduction.
          /
      .-- পাতা (Leaf) - The plant's kitchen, makes food.
     /
---কাণ্ড (Stem) --- फल (Fruit) - Protects the seeds.
     \
      `-- মূল (Root) - Anchors the plant & absorbs water.
          |
         বীজ (Seed) - A baby plant waiting to grow.

• The Roots (Mizizi): These grow downwards into the soil. Their mission is twofold: to hold the plant firmly in the ground so it doesn't fall over, and to drink up water and minerals from the soil. Think of them as the plant's anchor and its straw!

  Kenyan Example: We love to eat the roots of some plants! Think about nduma (arrowroot) and mihogo (cassava). These are special roots that store extra food for the plant.

• The Stem (Shina): This is the plant's strong backbone. It holds up the leaves and flowers, carrying them towards the sunlight. It also acts like a highway, with tiny pipes inside that transport water from the roots to the leaves, and food from the leaves to the rest of the plant.

  Kenyan Example: The stem of a sugarcane (muwa) plant is so full of sugary food that we chew it for a sweet treat!

• The Leaves (Majani): These are the plant's food factories! This is where the magic of photosynthesis happens. They are usually green because of a special substance called chlorophyll, which is the main ingredient for making food.

  Kenyan Example: We eat leaves all the time! From the sukuma wiki and mchicha (amaranth) in our meals to the leaves of the tea plant that give us our beloved chai.

• The Flower (Ua): This is the most beautiful part of many plants. Its main job is to help the plant make new plants (reproduction). Its bright colours and sweet smell attract bees and butterflies, which help in this process.
• The Fruit (Tunda): After the flower has done its job, it often turns into a fruit. The fruit's mission is to protect the precious seeds inside. And lucky for us, many are delicious!
• The Seed (Mbegu): Inside the fruit, you will find seeds. A seed is like a tiny baby plant, with its own packed lunch, just waiting for the right conditions (water, warmth) to grow into a new plant.

  Kenyan Example: Our most important food, maize (mahindi), is a seed! So are the beans (maharagwe) we use to make githeri.

Image Suggestion: A vibrant, detailed botanical illustration of a maize plant. Clearly label the different parts in both English and Swahili: Roots (Mizizi), Stem (Shina), Leaves (Majani), Tassel (Flower/Ua), and the Ear of Corn (Fruit/Tunda) with Kernels (Seeds/Mbegu). The style should be colourful and educational, like a page from a high-quality science textbook.

Photosynthesis: The Plant's Superpower!

How do plants eat? They can't walk to the market like we do! They perform a magical process called photosynthesis. This word might sound big, but the idea is simple. It's how a plant uses sunlight, water, and air to make its own sugary food.

Here are the ingredients the plant needs:

1. Sunlight: The energy source, like the 'jiko' or 'cooker'.
2. Water (H₂O): Absorbed by the roots.
3. Carbon Dioxide (CO₂): A gas from the air that we breathe out, which the leaves take in.
4. Chlorophyll: The green pigment in the leaves that traps the sunlight energy.

The plant mixes these ingredients in its leaves to make two very important things:

• Glucose (Sugar): The plant's food for energy and growth.
• Oxygen (O₂): A gas that the plant releases into the air. This is the air that we and all animals need to breathe to live!

Here is the simple recipe for this amazing process:

Carbon Dioxide + Water  ---(Sunlight & Chlorophyll)--->  Glucose (Sugar) + Oxygen
   (From Air)  (From Soil)                             (Plant Food)   (For us to breathe!)

Let's visualize the process flow:

[ SUNLIGHT ]
     |
     v
[ LEAF (with Chlorophyll) ] <-- Takes in [ CARBON DIOXIDE from Air ]
     ^
     |
[ WATER from Roots ]
     |
     v
[ MAKES GLUCOSE (Food) ] & [ RELEASES OXYGEN ]

Plants are Life! Their Importance to Us

Without plants, life on Earth would be impossible. They are a true gift! Here are just a few reasons why we must treasure them:

• Food (Chakula): From the ugali we eat (maize) to fruits like mangoes and avocados, and vegetables like sukuma wiki, nearly all our food comes directly or indirectly from plants.
• Clean Air (Hewa Safi): As we just learned, plants breathe in the carbon dioxide we don't need and breathe out the oxygen we must have to live. They are the lungs of our planet!
• Medicine (Dawa): Many traditional and modern medicines come from plants. Have you ever heard an elder talk about the Mwarubaini (Neem) tree? It's famous for its medicinal properties!
• Shelter and Materials (Makaazi na Vifaa): We use timber from trees like cypress and pine to build our homes and make furniture. We use wood and charcoal for fuel to cook our food.
• Beauty (Urembo): Imagine our towns without the beautiful flowers and shady trees. Plants make our world a more beautiful and peaceful place to live.

A Day at the Market: Think about your local market. You see a mama mboga selling bright red tomatoes (matunda), green spinach (majani), and earthy potatoes (sehemu ya shina/tuber). Another seller has a pile of yellow bananas and sweet-smelling passion fruits. A fundi is selling beautifully carved wooden spoons made from a local tree. All around you is proof of how much we depend on plants every single day!

Image Suggestion: A dynamic and colourful digital painting of a bustling open-air market in Kenya. A 'mama mboga' is smiling, surrounded by a rich variety of local produce: sukuma wiki, tomatoes, carrots, mangoes, and avocados. In the background, you can see sacks of maize and beans. The image should celebrate the abundance that plants provide to the community.

Your Turn to be a Plant Scientist!

Reading is fun, but doing is even better! Let's try a simple experiment to see the magic of growth with your own eyes.

Project: The Bean in a Tin

1. Find an old tin can or plastic container. Ask an adult to help you poke a few small holes in the bottom for water to drain.
2. Fill the container with soil from outside.
3. Take one or two dried beans (maharagwe). Push them about 2-3 cm deep into the soil.
4. Water the soil a little bit, just enough to make it damp, not soaking wet.
5. Place your container in a place where it can get some sunlight.
6. Water it a little every day and observe. In a few days, you should see a tiny green shoot pushing its way out of the soil. That's your baby plant saying hello!

Asante sana for being a wonderful student today! You have learned so much about our green friends. The next time you see a plant, a tree, or a flower, remember the incredible work it is doing. Go out, explore, and appreciate the wonderful world of plants all around you!

Habari Mwanafunzi! Welcome to the Amazing World of Plants!

Have you ever looked outside your window at the green fields of Kericho, the giant baobab trees in Tsavo, or even the small sukuma wiki plant in a shamba? Plants are everywhere! They are not just green decorations; they are living, breathing factories that make our lives on Earth possible. Today, we are going on an exciting safari to discover the secrets of plants. Let's begin!

Part 1: The Body of a Plant - Just Like Us, They Have Parts!

A plant has different parts, and each part has a very important job to do. Think of it like a team working together to win a game. The main parts are the roots, the stem, the leaves, and sometimes flowers and fruits.

• The Roots (Mizizi): These are the anchors! They grow deep into the soil to hold the plant firmly, so the wind doesn't blow it away. More importantly, they are like straws, sucking up water and important minerals from the soil.

  Kenyan Example: Think about Arrowroot (Nduma) or Cassava (Mihogo). We eat their roots! This is because some plants use their roots to store extra food.

• The Stem (Shina): This is the plant's highway! It supports the plant and holds the leaves up to the sun. It has tiny tubes inside that transport water from the roots to the leaves, and food from the leaves to the rest of the plant.

  Kenyan Example: Sugarcane (Muwa) has a very sweet stem because it stores a lot of sugary food there. That's why we love to chew it!

• The Leaves (Majani): These are the kitchens of the plant! This is where the magic happens. Leaves are usually green because they contain a special substance called chlorophyll, which is the main ingredient for making food.
• The Flowers (Maua): These are the beautiful, colourful parts of a plant. Their main job is to help the plant make new plants (reproduction). They attract insects like bees with their bright colours and sweet nectar.

      ,---.
     / .-. \
    ( (   ) )
     \ `-' /
      `---'
        |
   .--./ \.--.
  /.,/   \.\,.\
 `--,     ,--'
    |     |
    |     |
   /`'---'`\
  /         \

ASCII Diagram: A simple drawing of a flower on a stem.

Part 2: The Plant's Kitchen - How Plants "Cook" Their Food (Photosynthesis)

Unlike us, plants don't go to the supermarket. They make their own food! This amazing process is called Photosynthesis. The word sounds big, but the idea is simple. 'Photo' means 'light' and 'synthesis' means 'to make'. So, plants make food using light!

Here are the ingredients they need:

1. Sunlight: This is the energy, like the fire on a jiko.
2. Water: This comes from the soil through the roots.
3. Carbon Dioxide: A gas that we breathe out, and plants breathe in through tiny holes in their leaves.
4. Chlorophyll: The green stuff in the leaves that traps the sunlight.

When these ingredients combine in the leaf, they produce two very important things:

• Glucose (Sugar): This is the plant's food for energy and growth.
• Oxygen: The gas that we and all animals need to breathe! The plant releases this as a "waste" product. How generous!

+------------------+     +-------+
|  Sunlight Energy |     | Water |
+------------------+     +-------+
         |                   |
         v                   v
+------------------------------------+
|         LEAF (The Kitchen)         |
|   (Contains Chlorophyll)           | ----> Takes in Carbon Dioxide from the air
|                                    |
|   MAKES FOOD (Glucose/Sugar)       | ----> Releases OXYGEN into the air!
+------------------------------------+

Image Suggestion: A vibrant, sunlit illustration showing a large, healthy maize plant. Arrows should point to the plant: a bright yellow arrow from the sun labeled 'Sunlight', a blue arrow from the ground up the stem labeled 'Water', and a faint grey arrow going into a leaf labeled 'Carbon Dioxide'. A bright green arrow should be shown coming out of the leaf labeled 'Oxygen'. The style should be educational and clear for a young learner.

Part 3: Plants in Our Kenyan Lives

Plants are not just science; they are part of our daily culture and survival in Kenya.

• Food (Chakula): Our national dish, Ugali, comes from maize (mahindi). We love our Githeri (maize and beans), Mukimo (potatoes, maize, beans, greens), and fresh sukuma wiki. All from plants!
• Medicine (Dawa): For generations, we have used plants as medicine. The Mwarubaini (Neem tree) is famous for treating malaria, and Aloe Vera is used for skin burns.
• Shelter and Fuel: We use timber from trees like Eucalyptus and Cypress to build our homes. Many people still use firewood and charcoal (from trees) for cooking.
• Economy: Kenya is famous for its amazing tea from Kericho and coffee from the central highlands. These plants are sold to other countries and bring a lot of money to our nation.

Challenge Time: Let's Do Some Shamba Math!

Imagine you are a farmer in Makueni. You have 20 small sukuma wiki plants. Each plant needs about 150 millilitres (ml) of water every day to grow strong, especially in the hot sun. How much water do you need for all your plants for one full week?

Step 1: Find the total water needed per day.
   - Water per plant = 150 ml
   - Number of plants = 20
   - Total water per day = 150 ml/plant * 20 plants = 3000 ml

Step 2: Find the total water needed for one week (7 days).
   - Water per day = 3000 ml
   - Number of days = 7
   - Total water per week = 3000 ml/day * 7 days = 21,000 ml

Step 3: Convert millilitres (ml) to Litres (L) for easier measurement.
   - We know that 1000 ml = 1 Litre
   - Total water in Litres = 21,000 ml / 1000 = 21 Litres

Answer: You will need 21 Litres of water for your sukuma wiki plants for one week! That's a little more than a full jerrycan.

Image Suggestion: A realistic photo of a Kenyan farmer, smiling, watering a neat row of vibrant green sukuma wiki (kale) plants with a watering can. The sun should be bright, and the soil should look rich and dark.

Congratulations, Plant Expert!

You have done an amazing job today! You've learned about the parts of a plant, the magical process of photosynthesis, and how important plants are to us here in Kenya. The next time you eat a juicy mango, breathe in the fresh air in Karura Forest, or enjoy a cup of tea, remember the incredible work of plants.

Your challenge: Try planting a bean seed in a small tin with some soil. Give it water and sunlight, and watch the magic happen right before your eyes!

Habari Mwanafunzi! Let's Explore the Amazing World of Plants!

Have you ever thought about what you ate for breakfast? Maybe you had ugali, porridge, or a chapati. Or perhaps a delicious mango or banana. All of these come from plants! Plants are all around us, from the giant acacia trees in the savannah to the sukuma wiki growing in our shambas. Today, we are going to become plant experts and discover their secrets.

What Makes a Plant a Plant?

Plants are living things, just like us, but they are special in a few ways:

• They are Green Powerhouses: Most plants are green because of a substance called chlorophyll. This is the magic ingredient that helps them make their own food!
• They Stay Put: Unlike animals, plants are rooted in one place. They can't walk to the shop for food; they have to make it right where they are.
• They have Special Parts: Plants have different parts, and each part has a very important job to do.

The Parts of a Plant and Their Jobs

Let's look at a typical plant. Think of a bean plant or a maize stalk. It has several main parts, each working like a team member.

      /-- Flower (Helps in making seeds)
     /
--- Leaf (The 'kitchen' - makes food)
 |
--- Stem (The 'highway' - carries water and food)
 |
--- Roots (The 'anchor' - holds the plant and drinks water)
 |
/ \

• The Roots (Mizizi): They grow downwards into the soil. Their main jobs are to hold the plant firmly in the ground so it doesn't fall over and to absorb water and minerals from the soil. Think of a carrot or cassava (mihogo) – you are eating the root!
• The Stem (Shina): This is the strong backbone of the plant. It supports the leaves and flowers, holding them up to the sunlight. It also acts like a pipeline, transporting water from the roots to the leaves, and food from the leaves to the rest of the plant. A tree has a thick, woody stem called a trunk.
• The Leaves (Majani): These are the most important part for making food. They are the plant's kitchen! This amazing process is called photosynthesis, which we will learn more about.
• The Flower (Ua): This is the beautiful, colourful part of the plant. Its main job is reproduction – to make seeds so that new plants can grow. Think of the beautiful hibiscus or jacaranda flowers.
• The Fruit (Tunda) and Seeds (Mbegu): After the flower does its job, a fruit often grows. The fruit's job is to protect the precious seeds inside. When we eat a mango or an orange, we throw away the seed, which can then grow into a new tree!

Image Suggestion: A vibrant, colourful educational diagram of a maize plant. Label the following parts clearly in English and Swahili: Roots (Mizizi), Stem (Shina), Leaves (Majani), Tassel (Flower/Ua), and the Cob with Kernels (Fruit & Seeds/Tunda na Mbegu). The style should be clear and friendly for a young student.

Photosynthesis: The Plant's Superpower!

How does a plant make its own food? It performs a kind of magic called photosynthesis (you can say it like: fo-to-sin-the-sis). It's like cooking, but with very special ingredients!

Here is the recipe:

1. Sunlight: The energy source, like the 'jiko' or 'cooker'.
2. Water: The roots suck this up from the soil.
3. Carbon Dioxide: A gas that the leaves take in from the air (it's the same gas we breathe out!).
4. Chlorophyll: The green stuff in the leaves that mixes all the ingredients together.

The plant mixes these ingredients in its leaves to make two very important things: Glucose (a type of sugar, which is the plant's food) and Oxygen (the gas we need to breathe!).

Here is the simple science equation for it:

Water + Carbon Dioxide + Sunlight  ---(using Chlorophyll)--->  Glucose (Food) + Oxygen

So, every time you take a deep breath, thank a plant for the oxygen!

Let's Do Some Plant Math!

Imagine you planted a bean seed for your science project. You measured its height every week. Let's see how much it grew!

• Week 1 Height: 5 cm
• Week 2 Height: 12 cm

How much did the plant grow between Week 1 and Week 2?

Step 1: Identify the final height and initial height.
   Final Height = 12 cm
   Initial Height = 5 cm

Step 2: Use the formula: Growth = Final Height - Initial Height
   Growth = 12 cm - 5 cm

Step 3: Calculate the answer.
   Growth = 7 cm

Answer: The bean plant grew by 7 cm in one week!

You can do this with any plant in your shamba or garden. It's a fun way to see science in action!

Plants of Kenya

Our beautiful country, Kenya, is blessed with so many different types of plants!

• Food Plants: We are famous for our delicious food from plants like Maize (Mahindi), Beans (Maharage), Sukuma Wiki, Potatoes (Viazi), and Arrowroot (Nduma).
• Cash Crops: These are plants we grow and sell to other countries. Kenya is world-famous for its Tea (Chai) from the green highlands and its rich Coffee (Kahawa).
• Famous Trees: The flat-topped Acacia tree is a symbol of the Kenyan savannah. In our cities, the Jacaranda tree gives us beautiful purple flowers.
• Medicinal Plants: For generations, people have used plants as medicine. The Aloe Vera plant is a great example, used to soothe skin.

A Kenyan Hero Story: The great Kenyan environmentalist, Professor Wangari Maathai, won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work. She started the Green Belt Movement, encouraging women to plant trees across the country. She understood that planting trees helps our environment by providing clean air, preventing soil erosion, and giving us wood. She showed us that one person, by planting one tree, can make a huge difference!

Image Suggestion: A vibrant collage of Kenyan plants. One section shows a lush green tea plantation in Kericho. Another section shows a farmer proudly holding a bunch of sukuma wiki. A third section shows a majestic acacia tree at sunset in the Maasai Mara. A fourth section shows a close-up of roasted coffee beans.

Why We MUST Protect Plants

Plants are not just there to look pretty. Our lives depend on them!

• They give us oxygen to breathe.
• They give us food to eat.
• They provide homes for animals and birds.
• Their roots hold the soil together, stopping it from being washed away by rain.
• They give us wood for building and paper for our books.

You are now a plant expert! The next time you see a plant, you will know all the amazing things it is doing. Remember to take care of the plants around you. You can start by watering a plant at home or even planting your own tree!

Challenge for you: What are three plants that grow near your home? Can you name their parts and say one important use for each plant?