Bulletin Boards Plants with Unusual Defense Mechanisms
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Children enjoy the strange and unusual aspects of nature. They may not believe you when you tell them that there are plants that actually eat insects. A bulletin board with the theme of plants with unique defense mechanisms may be both interesting and educational for children. There are various ways that you can put together such a bulletin board.
Mount the plants
If you want your bulletin board to stand out in both a literal and figurative way then you can actually mount pots with plants. For instance, you can get a Venus Fly Trap, place it in a small pot and attach that to the bulletin board. You can supplement the plants with photographs and information appropriate for the age of the students.
Although this can be a very fun and unusual way to make a bulletin board, there are different precautions that must be taken. First make sure that the pots are mounted securely on the wall. You may want to build shelves into the bulletin board. You can purchase these from stores such as Home Depot. If your students are very young, place the plants high enough so that they cannot be reached. You can let the children see these plants in action. You can place a variety of such plants or just have one as the centerpiece of the board.
If you do not want to have an actual live plant, you can also look for leaves or other parts of the plant that you can press into the board. As an alternative look for fake plants that can also give the bulletin board that standout look.
Art projects
The children may be more fascinated by the bulletin board if they play a part in making it. The children can draw pictures of plants with unusual defense mechanisms in action. Older children can write out information on the plants for the board.
Photographs/information
Another idea for a bulletin board is to place large photographs of the actual plants. The children will be able to see firsthand what the plants do in order to protect themselves. If you take the children somewhere where these plants are on a field trip, then allow the children to take the pictures themselves to post on the board.
Visit the Botanical Society of America to view photographs of the different defense mechanisms that you can utilize in your board. Be creative, and you will come up with a great board.