Make Mother Nature Part of Your Summer Learning Plan

I love teaching all topics in biology, but one of my favorite topics to teach is my unit on classification and taxonomy.  This topic is one of my favorites because the diversity of life on Earth is simply amazing. The species that are alive on Earth today are the ones that “made it.” They changed and adapted to meet the pressures that our ever-changing environment placed on them.   The species alive today succeeded, and the evidence of their evolution is all around us ... if we just take the time to look! 

Take some time this summer to get to know and love nature.  If you are a person who already “knows” nature, then you will be shaking your head affirmatively as your read this article.  If you never take the time to notice nature, then you are really missing out on a fantastic journey.

A picnic along the shores
of Lake Huron

My childhood was spent growing up in hot and humid Mississippi, but spending several weeks each summer in the crisp and cool northern peninsula of Michigan on Lake Huron.  My mother was a biology teacher, and she introduced me to the beauty of the natural world at a very early age.  Whether it was catching fireflies and putting them in a jar or wading through a bog looking for bladderworts and pitcher plants, we were outside, observing and learning about nature, without even realizing that “schooling” was taking place.   When my two daughters came along, I passed along the same nature lessons that my mother had taught me.  However, as an adult, I now realize that the lessons go much deeper than just learning about science and nature.  The time I spent and spend outside with my daughters has forged a bond between us that cannot be broken.  As we tromped through woods, dug in the mud, and snorkeled at the beach, we made incredible memories that will forever make us smile.  

Summer is just beginning.  Make the most of it.  Get outside and experience the beauty that surrounds you.  I have put together a list of possibilities that might help you make Mother Nature part of your summer learning plan.  Try some of these with your children, or by yourself.  I guarantee that the lessons learned with be carried with you all your life!

Really big tree!!

1.  Plant seeds and watch them grow.  I do quite a few "seed-planting" labs in my biology classes, and I am always amazed at how many of my students have never planted a seed!   Have your children make a small flower garden or vegetable garden, but start from seeds.  It teaches curiosity and more importantly, patience.  

2.  Go outside at night. Catch fireflies.  Look at the stars.  Listen for the hoot of an owl. Watch the moon rise.  

3.  Watch a caterpillar grow into a butterfly.  Find a caterpillar and place it in a large jar containing the same leaves as where you found the caterpillar.  (Be sure to punch holes in the lid of the jar!)  Keep the inside of the jar moist by sprinkling a few drops of water in as needed.  Keep fresh leaves in the jar.  It is wonderful to watch the spinning of the cocoon and the emerging of the butterfly or moth.

4.  Take a daily nature walk.  Give your child a brown paper lunch sack for their "nature bag." Tell them to fill their nature sack with any and all items that interest them.  We live in an urban area and still find plenty of leaves, insects, seeds, and flowers.

5.  Get a field guide and learn to identify the organisms in it.  There are so many possibilities to choose from! You can learn to identify wildflowers, trees, insect, birds, or amphibians.  My daughters and I love wildflowers, and we take our wildflower guide with us wherever we go.  As we find a new wildflower, we write the date and location in our field guide.  All these years later, we see our notations and smile about the adventures we recorded in the book.  On one particular page, my daughter recorded, "Mom fell in the pond!"

Hiking in Yellowstone
National Park... the most amazing
trip we ever mad

6. Visit a national park.  There is a reason why these particular tracts of land were set aside and preserved.  They are amazing!

7.  Give your child a magnifying glass.  Have them make a list of the living organisms they see, and have them describe how they are adapted to the environment. 

8.  Set up several bird feeders.  Fill them with different types of food and see what comes to the feeder.  We have feeders filled with hummingbird nectar, thistle seeds, sunflower seeds, and plain bird seed.  All can be purchased from Wal Mart.  Have your child keep a log of which birds come to the feeder and what they eat.  Also, have them record the time of year the bird is seen.  It is fun to discover which are migratory because the "logbook" indicates that you only see them in the spring and again in the fall.

9.  Watch the bees around a flower garden.  Teach your children that bees are our friends and explain to them that the bee is doing more than just feeding on the nectar.

10. Watch a spider spin a web.  It is incredible!

11.  Ant farms, ladybug houses, sea monkeys!!  As my children grew up, some type of creature was usually present at our kitchen table during meal time.  An ant farm is very interesting to watch during meal time!



12. Sit on the side of a lake or pond, and count how many turtles stick their heads above water for air.  The quiet time you spend with your kids is simply priceless.

13.  Save a turtle.  Our car stops for turtles.  Help them across the road, please.

14.  Children love insects.  Have your child look for insects and then identify their habitat and niche. Remember:  The habitat is the "address" and the niche is their "job" in the community or ecosystem.

15. Go on a picnic.  Drop a piece of food on the ground and see how long it takes the ants (or flies!) to find it.  Watch how the ants communicate with one another to send the message back to the ant hill that food is nearby.

As you can see, nature has played a huge role in my life, both in my career as a biology teacher and in my role as a mother.  And while teaching my children about science and nature was important, it pales in comparison to this simple thing .... Once your children are grown and living on their own, they will still want to go on 'Mom adventures" with you.

Our children and our students will be responsible for making decisions about our planet in just a short number of years. We have to get them excited about nature. We have to make sure they understand how their actions impact our planet. Our students are the future caretakers of this beautiful planet and there is not an "app" for that.  I hope that when they are adults we have taught them enough about science and nature that they can make informed decisions about how to take care of it.

Museum of Natural History - New York City

The Museum of Natural History

My favorite place in New York City!

If you have been following this blog, then you know I have spent the last week in New York City with my incredible and wonderful family.  If you are new to these posts, then you might want to scroll down and read the earlier posts first.  

We actually returned home two days ago, but due to laundry, bill paying and extreme tiredness, I am just now getting around to my final post.  Just so you know, we are from a small town in the deep south.  We absolutely loved New York City, but it was so very different from our normal pace of life. I am so glad we visited, but even more glad to be home to my big backyard, bird feeders, flower gardens and the pond.

Hall of Biodiversity

The last day of our trip was spent at the Museum of Natural History.  I am so glad we saved this to last, because for a biology teacher, it was simply incredible.  

The invertebrates were amazing!

The first room we entered was the "Hall of Biodiversity".  All I can say is...

O . M . G . !!!  

"The Oceans" room may have
been my favorite!

We were there on a school day so there were a lot of classes visiting the museum as a field trip.  I was so impressed with the behavior of all the children!

This crab was about 6 feet across!

All of the school children were working on these wonderful handouts and worksheets.  As they moved about the museum they had to answer questions about the different displays.  The children were fascinated and I didn't hear any moaning or grumbling about the worksheets.  From what I could see, the worksheets were bright and colorful and interesting.

I do love insects!  And the insect
displays were astounding!

There were school groups of all ages.  Most of the groups were elementary children, but I did see quite a few high school groups.

Who doesn't love the dinosaurs!!!

And so this ends the posts about our New York City trip.  My daughter has just graduated from high school, and this trip was for her.  I have no idea where the last 18 years went to, or why they had to pass so fast, but each and every day was precious and I am going to miss her so much when she leaves for college!  Both of my daughters bring me such joy each day!

Growing Up With My Biology Teacher Mom!

I am very pleased to have a guest blogger today.  It is my very own daughter!  Hope has just turned 18 and is graduating from high school this week.  Among many numerous accomplishments, she is a National Merit Finalist, Presidential Scholar Semi-Finalist, All-State French Horn player, and daughter extraordinaire.  Please forgive my bragging.  This week is a milestone in the life of our family, and I want to preserve a bit of it by posting it on my blog.  

Hiking to a waterfall on the island of Kauai 

I asked Hope to write a few words about growing up with a biology teacher mom.  Here is what she had to say:

Hi.  My name is Hope.  I am a graduating senior at the high school at which my mom teaches.  My mom has asked me to write an article regarding a childhood guided by a biologically minded mother.  Here you go, Mom! 

I learned to identify wildflowers at an early age.  The Indian Paintbrush will always be one of my favorites.

There were no easy answers to questions I asked as a child.  The question, “Why is the sky blue?” did not garner the usual parental response, “Because God made it that way.”  Instead, my mom attempted to explain to me that light reflects differently off everything in the whole wide world and that for the air particles in the atmosphere, that color sometimes appeared to be blue.  As you can imagine, such responses were often met with blank stares.  However, this veritable encyclopedia of chemical, physical, and biological knowledge found in my mother often proved extremely helpful.  

Hiking through the mountains of
northern Georgia.
This was one big tree!

When I was little, I played with Barbie dolls, but I also played with science kits.  While my little sister took naps, my mom and I would learn about the buoyancy and viscosity of different liquids or play with ladybug homes, caterpillar enclosures, or ant farms. 

Yes, Mom, I know they are lichens!

On our trips to Michigan in the summer, I learned that the orange color on the rocks was actually something called a lichen.  When we finally studied algae and fungi in school, I was the only child in my class who knew what a lichen was.   We looked for pitcher plants in bogs, made plaster casts of deer tracks, looked for crabs with flashlights on beaches, and snorkeled on coral reefs.

Crab hunting

Snorkeling

I will never forget what "allelopathy" is!

My science fair projects always actually investigated something.  We did not do “cutesy” projects like “Which gets you cleaner, a shower or a bath?”  Instead, I learned about allelopathy and spent a month squirting magnolia tree juice on poor little bean shoots.  I didn’t always win the science fair, but I always learned a great deal about science. 

Overnight spelunking trip

Hiking in Grand Teton National Park

Yellowstone National Park

My mom also served as a science tutor.  Where my textbook or teacher left off, she picked up.  In high school, she helped me understand electron configurations and light and dark reactions.  She worked me half to death when I took her AP Biology class, but I proudly earned a “5” on the AP Biology exam.  

While I do not plan to major in chemistry or biology, she has inspired my to pursue a career in science.  In the fall, I will be attending college to study computer engineering with a focus in robotics.  My dream is to become an Imagineer at Disney World.  I know that I will always have a proud scientific mamma and I’m sure she’ll love poking around in my lab as I loved poking around in hers as a child.

Mom in Yellowstone

My childhood was the greatest!  Thanks for all the adventures, Mom!

Let's Have Some "Pun"!

Fun Activity For "End of the Year" Blues

We only have one week of school left, followed by a couple of days of final exams.  My kids are antsy, hyper, jittery, tired, and generally uninterested in anything that resembles school work.  After doing battle trying to keep their attention on Friday, I decided (on a whim) to have them write a pun about biology, or anything related to science.  It was initially met with the usual round of grumbling, but after a few minutes, my students really got into this.  Some of the "puns" were really good!  And some of them were absolutely awful!!  :)  And some of them were just repeats of classic jokes we told in the 3rd grade.  Anyway, it did keep them occupied for a bit while we waited for the final bell of the day.

I thought I would post a few of the puns my students came up with.  Beware:  Some of these are sooooo bad they will cause you to moan!!  Enjoy!



What did the alga say to the fungus?  I'm lichen you!

What did the mushroom say to the pepperoni?  I'm a fun-guy!

What did the lipid say to the H2O?  You water get out of here.

What element on the periodic table describes my school day?  Boron

What do you call half of your large intestine?  A semicolon!

Beware of the guy running a scam because he mitochondria.

The teacher's lounge is full of staph.

What do you call one-millionth of a straw?  A microtubule.

What did one gene say to a neighboring gene?  Crossover and see me some time.

What does a doctor do to his patients?  He either helium or barium.

One organism's pickup line to another in a bar:  What's your phylum?

If you breath, you will respire.  If you don't breathe, you will expire.

How do you know if a cell is an egg cell or a sperm cell?  Pull down its genes.

What did one chromatid say to the other chromatid?  You've got chiasma.

What did the salt say to the water?  I solute you!

Try this with your students.  This can be done with any age group and with any subject area.
And don't forget:  The most important thing is to just have pun!

A Tribute to My Mom, the Biology Teacher

My mom passed away in 2001, but not a day goes by that I don't think of her.  My mom was a biology teacher, and now I am a biology teacher, too.  My mom was an inspiration to so many people.  We grew up in a very small, rural town in the deep south.  Many of her students never dreamed they could attend college and have a different sort of life than the one they were accustomed to.  She taught them that they "could" as well as teaching them biology.
I went back to my home town yesterday for my high school band reunion.  I kept hearing two comments over and over:  "You look just like your mother!"  and "Your mother was the best teacher I ever had!"  Both comments meant the world to me.
Growing up with my mother was quite the adventure!  At a very young age, I was looking at pond water under a microscope and marveling at the creatures I saw there.  I could spot liverworts and bladderworts growing so close to the ground in a swampy area that no one else would even know they existed there.  She always had her wildflower books with her, and the car would come to a screeching  halt whenever she spotted a potentially new wildflower along the road.  The car also stopped for turtles.  They simply had to be moved to the side of the road and out of harms way.  She showed me touch-me-nots and explained how touching them caused the cells to lose turgor pressure and that was why the leaves folded up.  Once on a family vacation to the beach, a dead sting ray washed up on shore.  We dissected it!  She took us fishing and canoeing and walking through the woods.  I caught lightening bugs like all kids do, but I knew the how and why of their flashing.
I have two daughters.  I have taken them on many of these same adventures.  They can amaze their friends with all sorts of biological  facts.  They love going on nature walks with me.  I thank my mother again for the closeness I share with my daughters.  She passed a love of nature to me, and as I passed this on to my daughters, we formed a strong and unbreakable bond to one another.
What choice did I have but to become a biology teacher, too?  I have now taught biology for 27 years.  I sincerely hope that I have inspired some young mind along the way.  Good luck to all my AP students who are taking the AP Biology exam tomorrow.  Thanks, Mom.  I love you.

PS - She was also an avid bird watcher.  She loved hummingbirds best of all.  Mom, this hummingbird is for you.

The "WOW" Factor of Nature!

How can you NOT love this?

This past week in my biology class was spent on a unit on classification and taxonomy.  This is one of my favorite topics to teach because the diversity of life on Earth is so incredible and amazing.  Just now, I am sitting at my kitchen table looking out over our large back yard.  The evidence of adaptation to our current environment astounds me.  I am making a list to share with my students on Monday:
1.   A hummingbird is at my feeder.  (Yes, in the deep south, we already have hummingbirds back from the winter.)  Its beak is perfectly adapted to extract the nectar from any flower.
2.   The bees are very active this morning, buzzing in and out of every flower in sight.  Flowering plants take advantage of the bee, and cover its body with pollen every time it lands on a flower.  What a perfect way to deliver a sperm cell to an egg cell of a flower a block away.
3.   The birds are singing like crazy this morning!  What a perfect way to find a mate and establish behavioral barriers between the species.

4.   I can see beetles who are perfectly camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings.
5.  The fruiting bodies of mushrooms are poking up from the ground to take advantage of the deluge of rain we have had this week.  Water will spread their spores to great distances.




6.  A great blue heron is wading at the edge of our shallow pond.  Its body is perfectly adapted for wading and grabbing up the small fishes it sees.

It is an amazing time of the year to be a science teacher.  Nature is packed full of examples that we can share with our students.  I certainly hope that my students come away from this unit with the same "awe" as I have when considering how natural selection has brought us to this point in Earth's history.  Every organism in our sight is adapted to this particular environment.  All we have to do is to look carefully at our surroundings and we will see a multitude of examples of adaptation.

My challenge to you is this:  When Spring hits your particular area of this beautiful earth, take a class period and go outside with your students.  Give them a magnifying glass.  Have them make a list of the living organisms they see, and have them describe how they are adapted to the environment.  Yes, some of them will be "off task" and some of them will misbehave, but some of them will get hooked on nature for life!   I teach high school students, and I am stunned each year at how few of them have ever planted a seed, taken a walk through the woods, hung a bird feeder at their home, thrown "helicopter" seeds into the air and watched them spin, watched a spider spin a web, the list could go on and on!

These children will be responsible for making decisions about our planet in just a short number of years. We better get them excited about nature.  We better make sure they understand how their actions impact our planet.  Our students are the future caretakers of this beautiful planet and there is not an "app" for that.  I hope that when they are adults we have taught them enough about science and nature that they can make informed decisions about how to take care of it.

Plant Transpiration Experiment for Biology Students (Easy Lab Activity)

This plant transpiration experiment allows students to measure water loss from leaves while testing environmental variables such as light, air movement, and humidity. This hands-on biology lab helps students understand how transpiration works and how external conditions affect the rate of water loss in plants. Because the setup is simple and reliable, this transpiration experiment works well for middle school and high school biology students.

Plant Transpiration Activity for Biology Students

I really enjoy teaching plant biology, and plant transpiration is one of those topics that becomes much more meaningful when students can actually see it happening. I recently used this simple plant transpiration activity with my biology students, and it was easy to set up, required no fancy lab equipment, and worked beautifully across multiple grade levels. This transpiration activity can be adapted for elementary, middle school, or high school biology classrooms, making it a flexible option for teaching plant water movement.

Looking for a fully developed, classroom-ready transpiration lab for high school biology? You can find my updated transpiration lab activity blog post here.

What Is Plant Transpiration?

Plant transpiration is the loss of water vapor from a plant’s leaves. Leaves contain small pores called stomata that open to allow carbon dioxide to enter for photosynthesis. While the stomata are open, water vapor also escapes from the leaf and enters the atmosphere. If a plant loses too much water through transpiration, it will lose turgor pressure, causing the plant to wilt.

Because transpiration is closely tied to photosynthesis, environmental conditions such as light, air movement, and humidity all affect the rate at which water is lost from the leaves.

Simple Plant Transpiration Activity Setup

Measuring transpiration from plant leaves can be surprisingly simple. For this activity, I purchased a tray of vinca plants (also called periwinkles) from a local garden center. One tray typically contains six small plants, which works well for testing multiple conditions.

Each plant was placed into a small 100 mL beaker and watered thoroughly. Since the goal is to measure water lost through the leaves, it is important to prevent evaporation from the soil. To do this, a plastic sandwich bag is wrapped tightly around the beaker and sealed snugly around the stem of the plant. Only the leaves should remain outside the bag.

At this point, the only way water can leave the system is through the leaves of the plant.

Measuring Transpiration by Mass

Once the setup is complete:

1. Place the plant into the beaker and water it thoroughly.

2. Wrap the plastic bag tightly around the beaker and stem so no soil is exposed.

3. Measure the initial mass of the entire setup and record it on masking tape attached to the beaker.

This initial mass serves as the baseline for measuring water loss during transpiration.

Testing Variables That Affect Transpiration

Next, students investigate which environmental factors increase or decrease the rate of transpiration. In this activity, four plants are used:

• One plant is placed under continuous light.

• One plant is placed in front of a blowing fan.

• One plant is sealed inside a plastic bag that has been lightly misted with water to create a high-humidity environment.

• One plant serves as the control and remains under normal classroom conditions.

Each plant is left in its assigned condition for approximately 24 hours.

Observing and Analyzing Results

After 24 hours, each plant is massed again. Students are often amazed by how much water has been lost through the leaves during this time.

Typical results include:

• Plant in continuous light: Increased transpiration due to sustained photosynthesis. Stomata remain open longer to allow carbon dioxide to enter, resulting in greater water loss.

• Plant in front of a fan: Increased air movement removes water vapor from the leaf surface, increasing evaporation and transpiration.

• High-humidity plant: Reduced transpiration because the surrounding air already contains a high concentration of water vapor.

• Control plant: Normal transpiration under standard room conditions.

  

All final masses should be compared to the control plant to determine whether the tested factor increased or decreased the rate of transpiration.

Adapting This Transpiration Activity for Different Grade Levels

One of the strengths of this activity is its flexibility.

Elementary Grades:
At the elementary level, this activity can be used to demonstrate that water is absorbed by roots and released through leaves. Students can make predictions, form simple hypotheses, and practice basic steps of the scientific method.

Middle Grades:
Middle school students can calculate the rate of water loss per minute, test additional variables such as darkness or temperature, or compare transpiration rates between different plant species.

High School Biology:
High school students can remove leaves and calculate total leaf surface area to determine water loss per unit area. Students may also research and connect results to mechanisms of transpiration, including cohesion, adhesion, capillary action, and transpiration pull.

Final Thoughts

This simple plant transpiration activity allows the same core concept to be explored at multiple levels of complexity. Many students have limited experience working with live plants, and labs like this one consistently spark curiosity and engagement. My students are always intrigued by how much water plants actually lose through their leaves.

If you try this activity in your classroom or have additional ideas for extensions, I would love to hear about it. Good luck — and as always, make science fun.