Plant Part Costume Tutorial

Every other week, my amazing Head Start students in Germantown come to the Wyck Historic House and Garden to learn about plants, insects, animals, farming, healthy food, etc. This week they continued learning about plant parts and the healthy foods they produce.

We used the art in Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert to illustrate what plants we eat and discussed which parts of the plant they were from. Then we observed plants and signs of spring, played a matching game, sang our plant part rhyme, danced as a fruit bowl and even dressed up like a plant.

The plant part costume was something the kids loved when learning about plants at The Schuylkill Center’s Farm Camp, so with some felt and a few dollar store items, I had a costume of my own in no time at all.

Plant Part Costume

Materials:

¥   1 Sheet Brown Felt

¥   1 Yards Green Felt or Fabric

¥   Pipe Cleaners

¥   Fabric Garden Gloves

¥   Small Garden Hat or Basket

¥   Decorative Flowers or Fruit

¥   Hot Glue Gun

¥   Needle & Thread or Fabric Glue

¥   Velcro

Instructions

Roots:

1.     Cut two 2-inch wide strips of brown or green felt.

2.     Cut small slits in the middle of the strips about a ¼ inch apart for as many pipe cleaners (roots) you wish to use. I used six.

3.     Insert pipe cleaners, twisting top of cleaner around felt to secure it.   

4.     Add Velcro to ends of strips.

Stem:

1.     Using an apron as a pattern

2.     Cut an apron shape from the yard of green felt or fabric

3.     Sew on ties or cut with pattern

Leaves:

  1.     Lay gloves on top of the green felt or fabric.

  2.     Cut two leaf shapes from felt or fabric large enough to hide the gloves

  3.     Fabric glue or hand-stitch the bottom of the leaf to the bottoms of the gloves

  4.     Use puffy paint, markers, or other paint to create veins on leaves

Flowers/Fruit:

  1.     Pull the flowers and leaves off of a bouquet of decorative flowers

  2.     Hot glue the flowers and leaves to a small hat or basket

Suggestions & Additions:

Costume Additions

One Whole Flower- Create one flower using colored cotton balls or puff balls and felt petals (color and shape of choice)

Add Literacy Labels- Velcro, sew or permanent marker labels to each part of the costume

Add Fruit- Create one flower using colored cotton balls or puff balls and felt petals to create an apple blossom and add a faux apple (or any common fruit and flower)

Books

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carl

This book is a classic that the kids know and it can be used to discuss healthy foods v. junk foods.

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

This book has bright and beautiful illustrations of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.  

Spring: So Close, Yet So Far Away

It's March. The sun is beginning to shine brighter, the temperature a bit warmer and plants a bit greener. Winter hibernation is turning into spring fever. There are so many things we want to do outside, but we can't just yet. So what can we do? While I was brainstorming this same question for my Wyck House lesson plans, I came across a Facebook post by Nature Rocks. They shared a link, "10 Ways to Explore Nature in March" by Go Explore Nature. This awesome article shares wonderful ways families and teachers can get their kids out of the house or classroom and into nature. It even has printables! Don't have kids to take outside? Numbers 4, 7 and 9 can be done by adults.

Number 8, “See local wildflowers,” is one of my favorites that everyone can do. I especially love that there are so many places to do this in the Philly area. My favorites are Wissahickon Park, Wissahickon Environmental Center, the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, Awbury Arboretum, and the Wyck Historic House, Garden and Farm. And thats only the Northwest section of the city! What are your Philly area favorites? What are your favorites from where you live? What do you love to do outside in March? I hope thinking about these questions and reading this article has you inspired to get outside and play. Even on a rainy day, the physical and mental benefits to outdoor play for children and grown-ups are immeasurable.

Now that you have a pre-spring to do list, get outside and love the nature around you. Nature is as close as your door step, no matter where you are from. Enjoy!

Wissahickon Garlic-Mustard Pesto

 Garlic-Mustard: Bad for the forest, good for dinner.

Maple Sugaring in the Wissahickon is complete and spring is finally on her way. Although the winter never settled in and I am still hoping for a few snow days, I am excited to witness nature come alive again. There are little signs spring and peaks of life emerging from the Earth and soon the city, country, forests, and farms will be buzzing with life and lovers of nature. However, for every native plant fighting to share its beauty and nurture the animals and insects, there are invasive plants taking away their space. Garlic mustard is one of these invasive plants.

According to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), “Garlic mustard poses a severe threat to native plants and animals in forest communities. Many native wildflowers that complete their life cycles in the springtime occur in the same habitat as garlic mustard. Once introduced to an area, garlic mustard out competes native plants by aggressively monopolizing light, moisture, nutrients, soil and space. Wildlife species that depend on these early plants for their foliage, pollen, nectar, fruits, seeds and roots, are deprived of these essential food sources when garlic mustard replaces them. Humans are also deprived of the vibrant display of beautiful spring wildflowers.”  

So what is good about garlic mustard? It’s edible and delicious.

I first learned about invasive and edible forest plants when I began working at the Wissahickon Environmental Center (Tree House) in the Wissahickon Valley section of Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park System. They are a wealth of knowledge and host a wide variety of exciting events and activities for children, families and adults. Their edible plant lessons are always a favorite and the dishes made are delicious. This recipe for garlic mustard pesto can be altered to your taste and eaten with crackers, on pasta, used as a spread on sandwiches, or in place of sauce on pizza. The camp kids loved it with crackers. And remember, it’s an invasive plant, so while its normally never good to take anything from the forest or parks, garlic mustard will not be missed.      

Wissahickon Garlic-Mustard Pesto

 Ingredients:
2 Cups Garlic Mustard Leaves (young 1^st year plant)*

1 Clove Garlic

¾ Parmesan Cheese

~ ½ Cup Olive Oil (add to desired consistency) 

¼ Cup pine nuts (optional)

Directions:

In a food processor, finely chop the Garlic-Mustard leaves, garlic and pine nuts

Slowly mix in cheese and oil to desired taste and consistency

Recommendations:

Eat with bread, crackers, or pasta

Save for future dishes by freezing in ice cube trays

*When harvesting garlic mustard, harvest only the 1^st year plant. Be carful not to knock into the 2^nd year plants that are often nearby and spread their seeds. Pull the 1^st year plants up by the roots and take everything home with you. Put what you do not use in the trash, never the compost. Because it is an invasive plant, we must take all precautions not to enable it to spread.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

Ingredients:

½ cup whole wheat flour*

1 cup quick oats

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or ginger, nutmeg or all-spice mixture

2 tbsp canola oil

½ cup pumpkin pure

¼ cup peanut butter

¼ cup water

Directions:

Preheat oven 325 degrees

In a large bowl, whisk flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin spices

In a medium bowl stir oil, pumpkin, and peanut butter

Make a well in four and pour in pumpkin mixture

Mix well while adding water

Mix until thoroughly combined

Turn dough on a floured surface and knead until no longer sticky

Roll ¼” thick and cut with cookie cutters

Bake on lightly grease baking sheet at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes

Turn oven off and leave in for 30 minutes

Cool on a wire rack  

Storage:

2 weeks in an air tight container

4 weeks in refrigerator

6 months on freezer

*If you suspect or know your dog has a wheat allergy, use a wheat-free substitute.