If you were going to grow your favorite fruit or vegetable in the backyard, what materials would you gather? Whether grown on a large plot of land tilled by a tractor or in a pot on a patio, all plants require the same basic things to grow (air, soil, water and light). The goal of the first part of our story is to figure out what these materials are made of and how plants actually use them to grow and make food. So let’s start our adventure into agriculture off by discovering which plant needs are matter, and which are not.
How can we tell if something is matter?
Backpack test:
If it takes up space and makes backpack heavier, it’s matter!
Decide if each of the following are matter or not:
Did you categorize?
Like you really tried?
PROMISE?
Matter
- Dogs
- Children
- Metal
- Toys
- Playdoh
- Water
- Soil
- Air! Check out why…
Based on the list above:
What do plants need to grow that ARE Matter?
Not Matter
- Light
- Lightning
- Sound
- Heat
- Feelings
- Gravity
- Motion
- Fire! Check out why…
Based on the list above:
What do plants need to grow that ARE NOT Matter?
What are the non-matter “things” made of?
Things that affect matter! Gravity is an attractive force of objects made of matter. When matter changes is form or location we call it motion. And heat, light, sound and lightning are all forms of energy that cause matter to change what it’s doing. We’ll explore energy forms more in Story 5!
Let’s keep learning…
Let’s learn more about air, soil and water…
