Flowering plants keep the world cooler and wetter than it would be otherwise.

This content resource builds students' knowledge and conceptual understanding about plants through interactive activities, printable worksheets, and hands-on explorations. There are six investigation cases for students to complete; each case examines a different aspect of plant life, including plant structures, life cycles and reproduction, proper environmental conditions for growth, and ecological importance. Supplemental background information and a teacher's guide with suggestions for using the materials in the classroom are also provided. A Spanish version of the web site is available.

This article highlights hands-on or multimedia lesson plans about plant structures, growth and development, seed production, and dispersal. Science lessons are paired with suggested literacy lesson plans. All lessons are aligned to national standards.

You ride past them every day, but how often do you get out to appreciate the Wildflowers growing right along the side of the road? Join Mr. Bob, the Zoo's Neighborhood Naturalist as we take a walk along the shoulder of the road!

This lesson is designed as a basic introduction into botany, and understanding the parts and functions of plants. After completion of this lesson students will have identified the main parts of plants including: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit - as well as their respective functions. This lesson is geared for a 90 minute block-schedule However, activities can and should be modified to fit within other instructional periods.

This is the first of two lessons about reproduction in plants. This lesson covers how most plants normally reproduce - sexually.

In this lesson students will describe the complementary relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, and to identify adaptations that flowers have developed to encourage pollination. Note: This is the first lesson in a 3-lesson series; each lesson can be used independently.

This article assembles free resources from the Polar Plants issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

This article provides information about creating a plant or flower press and how this tool can enrich the elementary science curriculum.

This is additional curriculum for the Untamed Science video series created in a partnership between the North Carolina Zoo and videographer Rob Nelson. You are meant to watch the original video and then open the PDF resource below to learn how to create your very own sustainable butterfly garden!

In this lesson, students will identify and sort plant parts through hands-on activities and group discussions and then work with magnifying lenses and tape measures to document their observations on a student sheet.

Learn what a pollinator is, and why they are important. Look at some pollinator examples and some pollinator plants, then try to create your own pollinator u...

Learn what a pollinator is, and why they are important. Look at some pollinator examples and some pollinator plants, then try to create your own pollinator using common household supplies.

The Zoo EDventure team takes you on a tour of our Kaleidoscope butterfly garden. Here you are immersed in all the colors of the rainbow, beautiful floral blooms, and the fluttering flight of the butterflies.

We have created some helpful clips if you aren't able to watch the full video:
K.L.1 Different Butterflies (4 min): https://youtu.be/J9lXfZOYGhE?t=440
K.L.1 Morpho Butterfly vs. Owl Butterfly (20 sec): https://youtu.be/J9lXfZOYGhE?t=939
2.L.1 Butterfly Life Cycle (3 min 15 sec): https://youtu.be/J9lXfZOYGhE?t=1284