Grade Three Fall Page 1/31 BOWMAN GRADE THREE FALL NATURE WALK Colonial Plants The land has a lot to do with how people have lived here. It has to do with the foods people grew, the clothes they wore, and the kinds of homes they built. From: Massachusetts: Our Home Children will imagine their family living in colonial times and facing a variety of needs. Colonial children's responsibilities to their family included finding, identifying, and collecting native plants that would meet some of those needs. This is a chance to demonstrate how much children of long ago knew about the world around them. OBJECTIVES: Learn about how colonial families met many of their needs through the use of common plants. Identify common trees and wildflowers by their leaves, seeds and flowers Appreciate the amount of knowledge colonial people had about the natural world in Lexington and that some of this knowledge came from Native Americans. PREPARATION: Room Parent Logistics: o Teachers When: As early in Fall as possible while leaves are still on trees September to early October o Walk Time: 45-60 min o Groups: 4-5 o Sites: A) Spruce, grapes, sumac by Philip Rd. B) White pines, red maple by baseball diamond C) Blackberry Across School Driveway D) Red oak, sugar maple in front of school See updated map for other plants and location of sites as these change each year Schedule parents. Copies of walk are available in storeroom. Ensure no overlaps with other classes by checking the schedule in the BBB cabinet. Update BBB schedule with class time by writing Time/Grade/Teacher in correct date. Complete Pre-Walk activities: Students need to complete the Colonial Family Needs worksheet in the classroom, using information from the Useful Colonial Plants sheets (need to give copy of each sheet to each student). o There is an answer key for teacher use only! Complete Post-walk Curriculum Integration Opportunities.
Grade Three Fall Page 2/31 PTA BBB Coordinator Mark plants with blue surveyor tape and label plants in early fall. 1) DANDELION 2) GOLDEN ROD 3) GRAPE VINE 4) JEWEL WEED 5) RED MAPLE 6) SUGAR MAPLE 7) RED OAK 8) WHITE PINE 9) PLANTAIN 10) POKEWEED 11) QUEEN ANN S LACE 12) STINGING NETTLE 13) SPRUCE 14) STAGHORN SUMAC 15) YARROW 16) BLACKBERRY Update map sites and put copies in walk folder. Make copies of Colonial Family Jobs sheets for each student. Make copies of Colonial Family Needs Worksheet for teacher (to be done in classroom) Questions/Comments? Questions? Contact PTA BBB coordinator(s) MATERIALS: Colonial Family Jobs sheets, one for each child in the group. Clip board and pencil Bug box (for the unexpected discovery). ACTIVITIES: Imagine what this land looked like in colonial times and how colonial families used the resources of the land to meet their needs. Identify trees and wild plants needed for jobs using Colonial Family Jobs sheets. Discuss how each plant was used. Discuss how important it was that children could identify harmful plants as well as helpful ones.
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Grade Three Fall Page 5/31 PRE-WALK ACTIVITIES: TO BE LED BY THE TEACHER 1. Ask children to close their eyes and pretend they and their family are living in colonial times. Say: Imagine this land as it might have looked 250 years ago. Would there be blacktop, telephone poles, school building, or a grassy schoolyard? Encourage children to picture their family living here, in a small wooden house with a shelter for farm animals, a cleared space for a garden, some cleared land for pasture, and perhaps a marshy area where a small pond is. Some uncleared land is wooded with large trees. (See photos, page 3.) Certainly no school, Reservoir, and beach! Ask: What about the forest near the school how do you think it has changed from the time Native Americans lived in this area? Native Americans cleared some areas for gardens, but also relied heavily on hunting for food. As more colonists arrived, more land was cleared of trees. Cleared land was used for growing crops, feeding livestock, and building houses. Wood from the trees was needed for lumber and fuel. After settlers abandoned farms and moved west in the 1800s, trees grew back. We have more forests in Lexington now than in late colonial times. 2. Make a list of things colonial people would need in order to survive in the New World. Discuss where and how colonial families met their needs for food, water, fuel for heat and light, clothing, medicines, shelter for themselves and their animals. What about furniture and spices? Some needed items were imported from Europe on ships, or were traded with the Native people in the area or other neighbors, but much came from the forest or field near the house. 3. Hand out the Colonial Family Needs worksheets. Say: Imagine your family living in colonial times with this list of needs. Does your family have similar needs today? If you lived in colonial times, how would you have helped your parents meet these needs? Could you hop on your bicycle and go to the store? Do you know enough about the natural world around you to find and identify useful plants to help your family? Hand out the information sheets on common plants and how colonial people used these plants (Useful Colonial Plants). Explain that some needs were met by using plants that were grown in gardens for food and medicine. Many of these were brought from Europe. Some wild plants were also gathered that were useful. Point out that some of these plants were only found in New England, and the first colonists did not know how to use them. Native Americans shared their knowledge of these plants with colonists. For example, the first colonists had probably never seen corn before arriving in Massachusetts. The Wampanoags in Plymouth taught them how to plant and use the corn. Many wild plants were also unknown to the colonists.
Grade Three Fall Page 6/31 Ask the children to use the Useful Colonial Plants sheets to find the name or names of plants that could be used to meet each of the needs on the worksheet. Often several plants can meet the same need. Have them write the name(s) of these plants on the Colonial Family Needs sheet. Each child should complete a worksheet, but encourage children to work together as a group and share ideas. For example: NEED PLANT Wood used for fuel sugar maple red oak (pin oak) red maple Discuss the comparative usefulness of different woods for fuel using the information given below: Wood Needed to Throw Out 1,000,000 BTU Comparison of Heat Output from Wood Fuels Firelogs or Wood Species Hickory Oak Maple Alder Pine When children have finished listing at least one plant to meet each need, explain that colonial children needed to know not only which plants to look for but also how to identify them! On their Big Backyard nature walk children will find colored surveyors tape marking useful plants. Using the Useful plants colonial sheets they will identify each plant. They will also learn how to recognize harmful plants. Ask: Do you know any harmful plants? (Poison ivy, nettles, etc.)
Grade Three Fall Page 7/31 NATURE WALK: TO BE LED BY BIG BACKYARD VOLUNTEER 1. Thinking about the past While walking to plant locations, ask: What do people need in order to stay alive? (Food, water, protection shelter, clothing, warmth). What about when they are sick? (Medicine.) How did people in colonial Lexington meet these needs? Did they go to the Stop and Shop, CVS or Home Depot? How did people get what they needed to stay alive in colonial Lexington? There were very few stores. Food came from field and forest, and water came from ponds and streams. Shelter was found in houses built from forest wood and clay bricks. Heat for cooking and staying warm came from wood cut from nearby forest trees. Families needed to work together to get all these necessities. Children helped to gather useful plants, especially nuts in the fall. They would often become an assistant, or apprentice to an older person who taught them how to do a job. 2. Tree and wildflower identification. Do this at all sites. Tell the children that today they will pretend that they have a colonial job. Each child will have to identify certain plants that are used for their job. Tell the children what the jobs are, and let them choose which job they would like. Hand out papers with the job title and pictures of the plants that the children will look for. Jobs are: o Healer (2). o Clothing maker. o Builder. o Cook (2). Let the children start identifying the marked plants. Give them time to look at each plant and identify it. The leader's role is to be supportive and to ask helpful questions that encourage careful observation. Invite children to work as a team and share their observations. (The leaders have the numbers of the tagged plants (on the Useful Colonial Plants pages) for easy identification the children do not!) Some plants need a little extra discussion. It was just as important for colonial children to identify harmful plants as helpful ones. For example, all parts of the pokeweed plant are poisonous except for the first green shoots in the spring. After shoots are more than six inches high, they are poisonous too. Make it a point to identify poison ivy and caution children that even people who think they don t get itchy from it should not touch it. They will learn about many plants that early settlers ate, but today it is a good idea NEVER to eat a wild plant unless a knowledgeable adult has identified it and knows the area where it is found. Many plants have look-a-likes. Even if you identify the plant correctly, you never know if some toxic chemical has been sprayed on it or if your friendly neighborhood dog has wet on it.
Grade Three Fall Page 8/31 3. Wrap up. When all plants have been identified, sit down as a group for a few minutes to discuss their observations. Ask: Which of you found supplies to do your job? Was it easy or difficult? Why? (Some plants no longer have leaves, are out of season, or limited in number.) How did you learn about these plants? (From the Useful Colonial Plants sheet, and the BBY leader just the way apprentices did in colonial times!) How did colonists learn about the use of plants they never knew in Europe? (Native Americans helped them.) Did you discover anything that surprised you? Encourage some discussion and then return to school. Additional information for walk leaders: Dandelion: Also known as pee the bed, since eating too much dandelion increases urination (used as diuretic). Dandelion was on the register of medicinal plants in the U.S. until the 1900 s. Tips to Identify Poison Ivy o Leaf Type: Compound leaves with three leaflets (leading to the saying "leaves of three, let it be"). The stalk of the middle leaflet is much longer than the stalks of the two side leaflets. The edges can be smooth or coarsely toothed. Surface can be glossy or dull. o o Growth form: Climbing or straggling vine. Dangers of Poison Ivy: It is number one on our list of plants to avoid, because it contains a resin that can induce a very unpleasant skin rash if you touch it. Most plants have some sort of chemical defense system that helps protect them against predators, and the chemicals produced by poison ivy and its relatives are particularly effective. The resin contains a mixture of compounds that can bind to skin proteins upon direct contact. These complexes are then recognized by the human immune system (T-cells), resulting in a hypersensitivity reaction. The reaction, characterized by skin eruptions that itch and burn, can develop 12 hours to 5 days after exposure. Most people do not experience skin rashes the first time they touch poison ivy, but subsequent contact can trigger the reaction. Other lucky people do not seem to be susceptible, even after repeated exposures. o Treatment for poison Ivy if child has touched it: (This was used in colonial times!) find some jewelweed (touch-me-not, Impatiens spp.) (see useful colonial plant sheets for identification). Jewelweed has a very succulent stem, and the sap is reputed to be an effective remedy for poison ivy. Break off a stem, and rub the sap on the affected area. When you return to the classroom, anyone that even thinks they might have touched poison ivy should wash thoroughly with soap and water. Any clothes that have been in direct contact with poison ivy should be carefully removed and laundered, because you can even get dermatitis from touching a bit of resin picked up on clothes! The unpleasant itching of poison ivy can be relieved by applying calamine
Grade Three Fall Page 9/31 lotion or a paste made of baking soda. In the case of a severe reaction, or if the dermatitis affects a particularly sensitive area (face or eyes), a visit to the doctor is in order. The best remedy is, of course, prevention. Learn to recognize and avoid poison ivy. www.amnh.org/.../ ident_help/poison_ivy.htm
Grade Three Fall Page 10/31 POST-WALK CURRICULUM INTEGRATION OPPORTUNITIES: TO BE CHOSEN AND LED BY THE TEACHER 1. Have groups compare their findings on the walk and talk about any difficulties they had identifying or finding trees or other wild plants. Check out their Colonial Family Needs worksheets. Ask: If you were children living in colonial times, could you help your family meet all of these needs? 2. Literacy Link: An apprentice is a young assistant who learns the skills needed for a job. Which colonial job would you like to be an apprentice for? Why? Write your answer. 3. Social Studies Link: Discuss the role that Native Americans played in helping colonists learn how to live in Massachusetts. Many of the plants colonists found here were new to them. Have children research the role Samoset and Squanto played in helping the Pilgrims learn how to survive in Plymouth. (Excellent source: Massachusetts: Our Home, by Mary Stockwell and Courtney Thomas.) Ask children to give an example of a plant from Europe that Native Americans used. Plantain or yarrow are good choices. Explain that this shows that Native Americans also learned from the colonists. They adopted the use of different plants and other materials found in Europe (iron and glass) when they found that these worked better that the resources they had. 4. Science Link: Many of our roadside and lawn plants today were not here before European settlers arrived. Dandelion, plantain, Queen Anne s lace, yarrow, garlic mustard and purple loosestrife (purple flowers found in wet areas) are examples. Some were brought on purpose as garden plants for food or medicine, and some came accidentally in ship s ballast. (Ships took on soil from wastelands in Europe so the ship would be heavier on the bottom and wouldn t tip so much while it was sailing. When they arrived in Massachusetts the soil was dumped to make room for wood and other cargo for their return trip to Europe. The soil had seeds of European plants that sprouted here. Some of these European plants escaped into the wild areas and grew very well. Since they were not eaten by native insects or other animals, sometimes they grew better than native plants.) Do some research on alien or invasive plants and find out why they are a problem. Use the word FOOD CHAIN in this report. 5. Social Studies Link: Compare the ways colonial children helped their family with the ways children help their family today. In colonial times the jobs for boys and for girls were very different. Ask: Is that true today? Do some library research to find out what colonial children did to help their family. 6. Science Link: Drying plant foods, Lesson X in the Water Cycle unit, is a good example of how colonial people preserved food for winter use. Preserve some fruits by drying them. Thin apple slices and grapes are good choices. Compare what happens to a sliced apple as it dries and a whole unpeeled apple (whole apple may rot.)
Grade Three Fall Page 11/31 COLONIAL FAMILY NEEDS NAME DATE NEED PLANT Medicine for grandmother's cold, cough and fever. Wood for building homes and furniture Must not rot easily. Wood as fuel for cooking and to store for the winter. Medicine to stop bleeding and heal cuts. Tannin to soften deer and other animal skins for clothing. Used to treat winter blahs (lack of vitamins). Masts for a ship that could be sold in Boston. Ink for writing letters. Plants for Food or Drinks
Grade Three Fall Page 12/31 Plants to dye cloth. Plants to ease the itch of mosquito bites. Boards for children to write on (no paper) Medicine to treat stomach ache and tooth ache. Plant fibers to weave cloth Treatment for Poison Ivy itching and blisters Treatment for burns and sores Medicine to treat snakebite
Grade Three Fall Page 13/31 COLONIAL FAMILY'S NEEDS ANSWER KEY NEED PLANT Medicine for grandmother's cold, cough, fever and sore throat. Wood for building homes and furniture Must not rot easily. Wood as fuel for cooking and to store for the winter Medicine to stop bleeding and heal cuts. Tannin to soften deer and other animal skins for clothing. Used to treat winter blahs (lack of vitamins) Masts for a ship that could be sold in Boston. Ink for writing letters. Plants for food or drinks. Sumac White Pine Blackberry Spruce leaves Queen Anne s Lace Red Oak White Pine Red Maple Sugar Maple Spruce Oak Sugar Maple Red Maple Sumac Yarrow Blackberry Plantain Spruce leaves Red Oak Dandelions White Pine Pokeweed Sugar Maple Sumac berries Blackberry Dandelion Grape Spruce leaves (beer) Queen Anne s Lace roots (like carrots) Stinging Nettle leaves for soup/stew
Grade Three Fall Page 14/31 Plants to dye cloth. Sumac Golden Rod Plants to ease the itch of mosquito bites. Plantain Boards for children to write on White pine Medicine to treat stomach ache, earache, and tooth ache. Yarrow Blackberry Dandelion tea Queen Anne s Lace (stomach) Plant fibers to weave cloth. Stinging nettle Treatment for Poison ivy itching And blisters Jewelweed Treatment for burns and sores Queen Anne s Lace roots Medicine to treat snake bites Dandelion
Grade Three Fall Page 15/31 USEFUL COLONIAL PLANTS SHEET (with tag numbers) NA = plants introduced by Native Americans (not found in Europe) E = plants brought from Europe (not found in North America) DANDELION E 1 Description: Leaves jagged; yellow flowers; fluffy seed heads Uses: Greens for salads or cooked. Made into a tea for stomach upset. Used to cure warts. Roots ground to treat a snake bite. Roots roasted for a drink like coffee. Comments: What do we think of dandelions today? GOLDEN ROD NA 2 Description: Bright yellow flowers; many seeds Uses: To dye cloth. GRAPE VINE 3 Description: Climbs on other planted; tendrils fasten to other branches; tree grow in clumps. Uses: Eaten as fruit. Made into jelly. Made into juice drink. JEWELWEED 4 Description: orange flowers; seed pods like small pea pods which explode when touched. Uses: Rubbed on exposed skin to prevent poison ivy.
Grade Three Fall Page 16/31 USEFUL COLONIAL PLANTS SHEET RED MAPLE NA 5 Description: leaf stems red; maple keys (seeds) red and in bunches. Uses: Wood used for furniture and fuel. Not as good as sugar maple for fuel. 6 SUGAR MAPLE NA Description: Look for maple keys (seeds) on the tree or on the ground. Uses: Sap for sweet syrup and sugar. Wood is valuable for furniture and fuel. PIN OAK NA (Type of red oak ) Description: look for acorns 7 Uses: Wood used for building houses, furniture and fuel, but not as good as sugar maple or white oak for fuel. Bark and leaves soaked in water to tan or soften deer and other animal skins. WHITE PINE NA 8 Description: Evergreen; needles in clusters of 5 Uses: Wood used to build houses and furniture. Tall straight trunks sold as masts for ships. Inner bark used to make cough syrup. Thin boards used for children s lessons at school (no paper). Wood NOT a good fuel.
Grade Three Fall Page 17/31 USEFUL COLONIAL PLANTS SHEET PLANTAIN E 9 Description: Leaves in cluster close to ground; seed stalk 5-6 inches tall Uses: Leaves stop bleeding and help cuts to heal. Leaves relieve pain from mosquito bites. POKEWEED NA 10 Description: Grows 2-3 ft high; white flowers; dark purple berries Uses: Berries used for ink. First shoots in spring, up to 6 long, eaten as greens. All other parts are POISONOUS! QUEEN ANNE S LACE E 11 Description: seeds in form of bird s nest ; leaves feathery but not as narrow as yarrow. Uses: Ground roots used to ease pain of burns and sores. Tea made from all parts of the plant used for coughs and stomach aches. Tender roots dug the first year used in stews (Wild carrot, ancestor of today's carrot) STINGING NETTLE E & NA 12 Description: stems and leaves prickly; Uses: Young shoots gathered and cooked in early spring, before the stinging hairs on stems and leaves develop. Fibers from stalk used to weave cloth. Comments: There is lots of stinging nettle at Bowman and it causes rash when touched. Children should learn to recognize it. How did the colonists pick the stems without getting a rash?
Grade Three Fall Page 18/31 USEFUL COLONIAL PLANT SHEET SPRUCE 13 Description: Short needles with sharp pointed tips; evergreen Uses: Wood used for building houses. Leaves used to treat coughs & heal wounds and made into spruce beer, which is high in vitamin C. STAGHORN SUMAC NA 14 Description: Small tree; Many leaflets on 1 leaf; new shoots fuzzy; cluster of red berries. Uses: Red berries used to make lemonade. Hollow stems used to make flutes. Used to treat sore throats. Used to stop cut cuts from bleeding. Used to dye cloth YARROW E 15 Description: narrow feathery leaves Uses: Leaves used to stop bleeding and heal wounds. Used to relieve tooth-aches and ear-aches. BLACKBERRY NA & E 16 Description: Small bush. Stems have thorns. Underside of leaves is light green. (Raspberry leaves are whitish underneath). Dried berries may still be seen. Blackberries have a stiff stem with thorns. Uses: Collected for food, dried for winter use. Helpful as a medicine to treat diarrhea, stomach ache and tooth ache
Grade Three Fall Page 19/31 COLONIAL FAMILY JOB SHEET HEALER #1 White Pine Inner bark used to make cough syrup for grandmother s cold, cough, and fever. Spruce leaves Leaves used to treat coughs. Used to make spruce beer, which is high in vitamin C. Queen Anne s Lace Ground roots used to ease pain of burns and sores. Tea made from all parts of the plant used for coughs and stomachaches. Dandelion Made into a tea for stomachache. Leaves high in vitamins and minerals. Used to treat winter blahs (lack of vitamins). (Please turn over)
Grade Three Fall Page 20/31 Blackberry Tea made from leaves soothes stomachaches. Roots used to make gargle for sore throats. Sumac Used to treat sore throats. Yarrow Used to relieve toothaches and earaches.
Grade Three Fall Page 21/31 HEALER #2 COLONIAL FAMILY JOB SHEET Blackberry Roots used to treat cuts and stop bleeding. Dandelion Used to treat snakebites. Jewelweed Rubbed on skin to treat poison ivy rash and itching. Plantain Leaves used to stop bleeding and help cuts to heal. Leaves relieve pain from mosquito bites. (Please turn over)
Grade Three Fall Page 22/31 Queen Anne s Lace Ground roots used to ease pain of burns and sores. Spruce Leaves used to heal wounds. Sumac Used to stop cuts from bleeding. Yarrow Leaves used to stop bleeding and heal wounds.
Grade Three Fall Page 23/31 COLONIAL FAMILY JOB SHEET CLOTHING MAKER Goldenrod Bright yellow flowers used to dye cloth. Pokeweed Dark berries used to make ink and dye. Red oak Bark and leaves soaked in water contain tannin to soften deer and other animal skins for clothing. (Please turn over)
Grade Three Fall Page 24/31 Stinging nettle Stalk fibers used to weave cloth. Sumac Red berries used to dye cloth.
Grade Three Fall Page 25/31 COLONIAL FAMILY JOB SHEET BUILDER Red maple Wood used for furniture and fuel. Red oak Wood used for fuel and for building houses and furniture. Spruce Wood used for building houses. Sugar maple Wood valuable for furniture and fuel. (Please turn over)
Grade Three Fall Page 26/31 White pine Wood used for building houses and for furniture. Tall straight trunks sold as masts for ships. Thin boards used for children s lessons at school.
Grade Three Fall Page 27/31 COLONIAL FAMILY JOB SHEET COOK #1 Dandelion Greens used for salads or cooked. Roots roasted for a drink like coffee. Grapes Fruit eaten. Fruit made into jelly. Fruit made into drink. Red maple Wood used for fuel for cooking. Red oak Wood used for fuel for cooking. (Please turn over)
Grade Three Fall Page 28/31 Sugar maple Sap used for sweet syrup and sugar. Sumac Red berries used to make lemonade.
Grade Three Fall Page 29/31 COLONIAL FAMILY JOB SHEET COOK #2 Blackberry Berries collected for food. Queen Anne s Lace Early tender roots used in stews. Spruce leaves Used to make spruce beer. Stinging nettle Young shoots gathered and cooked in early spring before the stinging hairs on stems and leaves develop. (Please turn over)
Grade Three Fall Page 30/31 Sugar maple Wood for fuel for cooking.
Grade Three Fall Page 31/31 NATURE WALK EVALUATION (Please leave in Big Backyard Room) Walk Leader: Grade and Teacher: Date: Children in Group: 1. What parts of the walk interested the children the most? (check all that apply) Colonial life Identifying plants Plant uses Colonial jobs Other: 2. What parts were not successful? (check all that apply) Colonial life Identifying plants Plant uses Colonial jobs Other: 3. This walk was: (circle one) TOO LONG JUST RIGHT TOO SHORT 4. The children seemed adequately prepared: (circle one) YES NO 5. This was a good working group: (circle one) YES NO 6. I felt adequately prepared to lead this walk: (circle one) YES NO 7. Other comments or suggestions: