Plants, Crayfish and Land Snails, Oh My!

Our class is in the midst of our Structures of Life unit. We are sharing space in our classroom with plants, and have been host to crayfish, and soon we will have land snails visiting us. In this unit, children investigate the structures and behaviors of living things. You can increase your child’s understanding and interest by asking about the investigations at

school and by providing experiences at home. You might search for and count the seeds found in various fruits and vegetables as you prepare dinner (children will learn that all plant parts that hold seeds are technically fruits). You could grow plants from seeds, grow and eat edible sprouts, and look for the fruits and seeds of plants in your neighborhood.

If you happen to see other animals when you are out and about with your child, you might take a moment to watch what they do, or take note of some interesting features of an animal’s body. How might that behavior or body structure help the animal survive? Together, you become scientists searching for clues!