Math activities with Gardens

As a kid, I love gardens--the trees, the flowers, the rocks, the bugs, you name it--I found it fascinating.  I think exploration is just part of what it's like to be a kid... So take some time and explore a garden around you (It could be your yard, in a park, or at a museum).

Here are two pictures of my front yard with lots to explore...

•  How many trees are there?  What kinds of trees are they?
• Look at the bushes and the flowers.  What color are the leaves and flowers?  Do the flowers have radial symmetry--like the fan in Saturday's post?

•  Count the flowers on a small bush like this one below.  Then count how many petals are on one flower--can you multiply to find the total number of petals?

•  How many fruits are on one branch--does it need to be pruned?

•  How many bees visit the plant you are observing in a certain amount of time? (The bees wouldn't stay still for me to photograph them.)

•  You can do leaf rubbings and count the veins in the leaves, notice their symmetry, etc.
• Turn over stepping stones and see what bugs are under there--count the varieties.
• With fruit, you can see if it grows in bunches.  (These are loquats from my backyard.)

 

• And see how many seeds are on the inside.

You can also do experiments with watering, or measure the amount of rain water your garden gets...

What can you do with math in a GARDEN?