Seeds Can Travel: Milkweed

Materials

Milkweed pods

Instructions

1. Tell the following story about Mel Milkweed, using a milkweed pod as a prop. Open the podand take out a few seeds at the appropriate time."It was very dark. Mel Milkweed had been lying very still for such a long time. He was waitingand waiting along with all the other seeds in the pod, waiting for the time when the podwould open and he and all the other milkweed seeds would fly out and travel to new placesto live. He was getting very excited. He could feel the pod starting to loosen and open. Thetime was near! Suddenly a tiny bit of light shone into the pod. Then more light and finallyMel felt himself falling. His little parachute began to open. A gust of wind carried Mel up intothe air toward a tree. He could see the other seeds in the air, too. Where would they allland? Where would he land? Would he hit the tree? Suddenly the wind took him away fromthe tree and into a field. He came down on a soft spot of ground. This would be a greatplace for Mel to live and grow into a milkweed plant. It would take a long time, but he knewhe could do it!"2. Invite children to examine milkweed pods and seeds. On a windy day take milkweed seedsoutdoors and give each child a few to "fly." Watch how the wind carries them.More to doLanguage: Write a group story about what the milkweed seed might see and feel as it travelsalong. Older children may prefer to dictate their own story and draw a picture. Make into onebook and read at story time.More science: Try "flying " other types of seeds, such asdandelion seeds or maple seeds. * Sort of variety of seedsinto two categories: those that the wind can carry andthose it can't.