Stems for Third Graders

Do we know how many stems do we actually eat in our daily diet? I myself never gave it a thought till my third graders asked me this question. Like any good teacher I had to tell them that I’ll look into it before I say anything. This time I did my homework and came up with loads of information. Now all I had to do was compile it in such a way that a child can understand.

I worked my way from thick outside of the stem towards the tender inside. I categorized those giving examples. Here’s what I told them.

1. The bark, as in Cinnamon stick
2. The whole stem, as in Sugarcane
3. The stalk, as in Celery
4. The petiolated leaves, which are leaves that wholly or partially surround the stems, hence consumed together, as in Lettuce.
5. The hollow stem, as in Green Onion or Scallions
6. Modified Plant Stems, as in Potatoes, which although are grown underground and usually categorized under Roots, are essentially stems too which generates further roots and stems since it reproduces by itself.

I sure hope I not only covered all the aspects of stems but also didn’t confuse their minds for life. Thankfully I got lots of questions which is a good sign of their attentiveness and eagerness to know more. The best response was when towards the end of the session, they wanted to taste each sample I had shown them. By the time I came back home, my bag of goodies was empty. I had never seen celery and lettuce bunches vanish so fast. Their parents would be so proud.

Third Grade and Sugarcane are not compatible

This week I was teaching kids about seeds as part of classes on Plant Kingdom. The plan was that after I am done with the boring stuff I would introduce them something special that will not only be a new experience but also serve as a treat. The best thing I could think of was the Sugarcane! Although Sugarcanes produce seeds, modern stem cutting has become the most common reproduction method. Each cutting along the rings must contain at least one bud, which then grows out to be a new plant. While talking about ‘seeds’, I thought of addressing this form of planting too. After all how many of today’s urban kids who are glued to their electronic gadgets and consume only processed food, would actually know about Sugarcane, much less have tasted one?

I was right in my assumption. From the moment I entered the room with the 8ft long Sugarcane, the speculations were being made about what it was. The common consensus was that it was a big fat bamboo. I let that thought hang in the air while I tried to get their focus back on seeds. When they could not keep their calm anymore, the barrage of questions began.

What caught me by surprise was that almost none of them knew it was Sugarcane. But who can blame them for their ignorance! I remember Sugarcane from the road trips my parents used to take us on during our summer vacations in northern India. Wherever we went Sugarcane fields greeted us. We often stopped near those fields either to stretch our legs or attend to nature’s call. As a souvenir we never forgot to pluck one out of the field and make the next hour of our journey sweet by peeling the skin off with our bare teeth, and then chewing the rough texture pretty hard to extract the sweetest juice ever. My mother told us it was good for teeth too. I am not sure about that but we never had braces or cavities. Summer vacation and Sugarcane went hand in hand.

But now things are different. Even if we do take our kids on road trips, we never find Sugarcane fields along the highway, maybe because Highway planners have designed it to keep such fields out of sights of tourists. Regular grocery stores don’t carry them. Sugarcanes are available only in the Farmer’s market where occasionally the local farmers bring in their randomly grown produce. Even if the parents do find them, they steer clear away from them for the fear of creating a mess in their homes or the possible dentist’s expense when and if someone chips a tooth while chewing on it.

Of course kids know about Sugarcane and do acknowledge that the Sugar is made out of it. But have they seen it, touched it, handled it and tasted it? No. For them the Sugarcanes are only the raw material to create sugar. Very soon people would forget even that.

Anyway, after introducing the big fat long cane to the third graders as The Sugarcane, I offered them some precut Sugarcane to taste. That was a sight to see. First they did not know how to eat it. They held it in between their teeth as if afraid of blistering their lips! When I demonstrated them the chewing process, I was regarded as someone needing mental evaluation! Thankfully they still tried to copy me. But I must tell you; none of them liked the taste. It seemed like someone had given them cotton balls instead of cotton candy. I guess the raw taste of unprocessed sugar is an acquired taste and the effort it takes to enjoy its juices is something of a challenge for our younger generation used to processed food. I believe the raw taste of Sugarcane has become what is probably considered old fashioned or may be even ancient.

Either I am getting really old or our next generation has developed a keen sense to discard whatever doesn’t give them instant satisfaction. I am still hoping I’ll be able to at least influence them enough to keep their mind open for options. Can’t wait for my next class on roots. There is always something new to teach and learn from them.

Plant Kingdom for Third Graders

What would be the best way to teach the third graders about plants, more specifically edible plants, without having the slightest idea of their science curriculum? Honestly, I don't know. I have forgotten about what I learnt during my third grade. Over the years, whatever I got to know about plants, I cannot pinpoint one single event that may have taught me that vast subject. It came to me in bits and pieces, through trials and errors, mostly while assisting my mother in the kitchen, or grandpa in the backyard. Add to this fact, the level of exposure that an 8year old has today, is beyond what we ever imagined for ourselves at that age. Who knows while I am busy talking about seeds and stems, these third graders might be busy making genetic mutation formulas in the back bench!

My worry began with an invitation from my daughter's class teacher who wanted me to share my knowledge about edible plants with the class. I prepared some notes, crossed my fingers and went ahead to face the eager innocent looks full of questions and ideas.

The obvious difference between 'edible plants' and 'plants with edible parts' is sometimes lost in generalization. The kids have been taught that all plants are edible, which is surely not a true statement in a technical sense. Yes, some plants are edible like most herbs and all green leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce etc., but there are others of which only certain parts are consumed, rest are not. For example, we eat the tomatoes not its leaves. Either the seed (sunflower seeds, pepper corn, nuts etc), or root (potatoes, carrots, radishes etc), or stems (celery, rhubarb etc), or leaves (all kinds of greens), or flowers (cauliflower, broccoli etc) or fruits (eggplants, okra and, rest of the vegetables) are consumed.

I decided to keep this topic as my introductory lecture. Hoping to cover all this in 15 minutes was a big mistake on my part. I had underestimated their ability to jump from one topic to a totally different but vaguely related topic. It happened each time I thought I nailed it. Towards the turn of the hour I encountered my last hurdle. If black pepper comes from plant then does salt come from plants too? The answer was a definite 'No'. I did not foresee the next volley of questions though. What is the salt? Isn't it sodium? Do they sell sodium at grocery stores? If sodium is not salt then what is a compound? What is a chemical composition? Why is Sodium written as 'Na' why not 'So'? Does sugar has chemical composition too? What is it written as 'Nu' or ‘Su’? On and on it went till I could wriggle out of it with a promise of a full research result on salt for the next time and few more sessions dedicating to each group of edible parts of the plant for next few weeks.

So the next time I go, I’ll be prepared with loads of seeds, their categories and their various kinds. May be an experiment too of planting a seed and letting it grow so that sprouting is seen and life cycle of a plant is understood.

Since I was not prepared for an experiment for the first lecture, there were some groans and sad faces. But at that moment, the brilliant mind of mine kicked in and out came an experiment to be done at home. Taste a teaspoon each of salt and sugar and write down the findings about what they taste like, their texture and after effects. Observations on these two pantry components by the students would help me explain about salt during next session unless of course before that their respective moms send a note of complain to the school for school being responsible for messing up their kitchens and gagging their kids!!

I am finding it interesting to be with so many kids and teaching them something new. Never knew I had that patience. Their point of view and outlook towards things around us is unique and innocent. Wish I could capture it all and safe keep it for during my old age. For now, I’ll simply try to keep an update about these once a week lecture. Till next week…..