In "Plant Life Cycle", we learned about the different stages of the plant life cycle, and just how cool plants can be! First, we started off by drawing out the life cycle from what the students already knew. Then, the kids got to dissect their very own kidney bean, which had been sprouted the night before. Using toothpicks, they picked apart and identified the various parts of a young plant within the bean. We also talked about the different parts of plants we eat (roots, stem, fruit, and seed), as well as the important role of pollinators. Afterwards, everyone got to dissect their own flowers.
I was the first to teach this week, and everything seemed to happen in a whirlwind. We got right into it, after a driving snafu ended up with me arriving just as class was about to start. I had a great time getting the kids excited about plants, simply by telling them a really neat story about acacia trees. It was also great to see everyone having so much fun dissecting the seeds and flowers. Some kids even found the seed pods within the flowers they had, and were absolutely astounded. As I went around checking in with everyone, some kids made a “flower salad.” I asked them what was in the salad, and they started listing off flower parts: “Well, we have a little bit of the stigma, some sepal, tossed with some ovules!” The toughest part was definitely the transition between each class, because I only had 5 minutes to clean up, set-up, and prepare for the next group. It was really great to have my team by my side!
Everyone we met within the community was generous and kind. All of our homestays were so wonderful, and I was grateful that they let us into their homes for a week and treated us with such kindness. It was a small, close-knit community, and it was great to experience a different pace of life away from the city. I also enjoyed spending time with the kids at school, because they were so curious, so willing to learn. I hope to see some of these kids in college someday!
-Angela Feng
I was the first to teach this week, and everything seemed to happen in a whirlwind. We got right into it, after a driving snafu ended up with me arriving just as class was about to start. I had a great time getting the kids excited about plants, simply by telling them a really neat story about acacia trees. It was also great to see everyone having so much fun dissecting the seeds and flowers. Some kids even found the seed pods within the flowers they had, and were absolutely astounded. As I went around checking in with everyone, some kids made a “flower salad.” I asked them what was in the salad, and they started listing off flower parts: “Well, we have a little bit of the stigma, some sepal, tossed with some ovules!” The toughest part was definitely the transition between each class, because I only had 5 minutes to clean up, set-up, and prepare for the next group. It was really great to have my team by my side!
Everyone we met within the community was generous and kind. All of our homestays were so wonderful, and I was grateful that they let us into their homes for a week and treated us with such kindness. It was a small, close-knit community, and it was great to experience a different pace of life away from the city. I also enjoyed spending time with the kids at school, because they were so curious, so willing to learn. I hope to see some of these kids in college someday!
-Angela Feng