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    Home » Key Stage 2 Science » Plants » Dissect a flower and other plant experiments for kids

    Dissect a flower and other plant experiments for kids

    April 22, 2020 By Emma Vanstone 2 Comments

    Dissect flowers and learn about their structure with this simple hands-on dissection activity and other exciting plant experiments for kids. Dissecting a flower is a great way to visually show the different parts of a flower, which can be hard to picture from a diagram in a book.

    Image of a lily that has been dissected as a plant science experiment

    What you need to dissect a flower

    Any flowers with large parts work really well, for example:

    Lily

    Iris

    Daffodil

    Tulip

    Paper plates or sheets of cardboard

    Magnifying glass – optional

    Tweezers

    Scissors

    How to dissect a flower

    Lay the flower out over a paper plate, tray or sheet of cardboard. Can you identify the different parts?

    Label areas of the different parts of a flower on your piece of cardboard or paper plate and match the dissected pieces to the correct label.

    Try to find the following flower parts:

    Root – carries water and nutrients from the soil to the plant and keeps it anchored in the ground.

    Petal – often brightly coloured to attract insects

    Leaf – uses energy from sunlight to photosynthesise creating oxygen and sugars for the plant to use for energy

    Pollen – pollen is a fine powdery substance which contains the male reproductive cells. It is produced by the anthers of seed bearing plants.

    Stem – a plant stem transports water and nutrients from the soil to the rest of the plant. The stem supports the leaves and flowers allowing them to be raised above the ground to be in the light.

    Flower Dissection Challenge

    Can you find a stigma and anther and an ovule and ovary?

    Lily dissected to show the ovule and ovary - plant science for kids
    Labelled diagram showing parts of a flower - stigma, stye, ovary, stamen, ovule, receptacle, sepal

    What is pollination?

    Pollination is when pollen from the anthers ( male part ) of one plant land of the stigma (female part ) of a plant of the same type. The stigma is sticky so the pollen can attach to it easily.

    Pollen can be carried by wind or insects. Once it has landed on the stigma of a plant it travels down a tube where it fertilises the ovules, which then become seeds.

    What is Fertilisation?

    Fertilisation is when the male cells from the pollen connect with female cells from the ovules.

    What is germination?

    Germination is when a seed starts to sprout and grow, you could try to grow a bean in a jar to discover the conditions needed for a seed to germinate.

    Which are the best flowers to dissect?

    Anything with large parts. Lilies are great but watch out for pollen stains. Tulips, daffodils and iris flowers also work well.

    More Plant Science Experiments

    Find out why leaves change colour in Autumn

    Learn about transpiration with this pretty experiment using food colouring to change the colour of white petals.

    White carnation coloured with food colouring to demonstrate transpiration. Plant science for kids

    Try growing new plants from tissue cuttings.

    Have a go at growing a multi coloured cress caterpillar, can you guess how we made the leaves different colours?

    Can you think of any more plant experiments for us?

    Suitable for Key Stage 1 Science

    Plants

    Identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees.

    Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants

    Find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy

    Key Stage 2 Science

    Identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants

    Dissect a flower and more plant experiments for kids #plantscience #scienceforkids #plantscienceforkids

    Last Updated on April 1, 2022 by Emma Vanstone

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    Safety Notice

    Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

    These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Becky

      September 30, 2015 at 5:37 am

      Oh I just love these ideas Emma

      Reply
    2. Aimee

      April 02, 2016 at 9:02 am

      Oooh.. this reminds me of a science experiment we used to do when we were kids. We did exactly the same thing except we used Hibiscus because they were plentiful at home (but exactly the same idea, it’s much easier to identify the parts).

      Reply

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