Most mythology, many fairy tales, some of our oldest stories discuss, or even center plants. It’s because plants have been some of our first companions. Whether it is moss, or the shaft of an arrow. Whether it is the food or we eat or that which clothes us, plants are, have always been there.
In the next several editions I will be publishing sessions on botany and writing. Why is it important to write and tell stories about plants? So that we can remember how close we are to them, and that our stories about what plants are and the role they play in our lives influence how we see them. Plants are very different from humans, they don’t move, talk, or grow in the same way that we do. So in learning how they adapt and live; to see from a plant’s eye view we can open ourselves, and the world, to perspectives that might be new to modern storytelling.
For students ages 9-13
Session 1: Seeds
Activity:
Plant Seeds, bring in cuttings, bring onions, garlic, yams and potatoes
Story:
Botanists have been known, in times of war, to prioritize the seeds over anything, sometimes their own lives. (source: Where Our Food Comes From by Gary Paul Nabhan)
Setup:
Get ready, we are going to be learning a lot about plants, and we are going to be writing a lot. And by the end of the week, you are going to become experts at one specific plant.
- They will then choose a card randomly, of a plant you are going to come across throughout the week.This idea is inspired by the writing and work of Jon Young in The Coyote Guide: naming: students will each get a plant. They can go by the name of this plant. Depending on the culture you want to create, this kind of embodiment could be a playful way for them to imagine what it is like to *become* a plant. Or they can just become experts throughout the week.
Discussion:
What around us is made of plants? Why would one put so much value into a seed bank?
Look at a picture of a wild relative of corn.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2022-11-genetic-mechanisms-protein-decline-modern.html
We save seeds so that we can save the ‘selection’ we have done.
Watch this video about the Svalbard seed vault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AzG9EZ20tY
First Writing Prompt:
Imagine a way for saving seeds for many generations. Tell a story in the future about a society saving seeds.
Discussion
Do plants need seeds in order to procreate, or make more of themselves? Show them the yam and potato and talk about rhizomes. Talk about the plant being able to grow from a single cutting.
Activity
Plant seeds and label each one. Discuss what is in a seed. *much of seeds operate as protection and/or storage.
Take a few seeds and try to figure out where the plant is going to grow out of them. Look to see if you can see the radicle inside.
Discuss:
How seeds get around. Talk about dispersal techniques:
Second writing/research prompt:
Now that they know all about seeds, research the seeds for their plants. Where do they grow, how do they disperse, and how big are their seeds? Draw the seed (or paint it) and write notes for now.
Debrief:
Do a share. What stood out to them? Did they learn something today?
Bending Tree Education 