The Plants We Eat: A Parts of a Plant Sort

Did you know we can eat all parts of plants. This parts of a plant sorting activity includes real images of fruits and vegetables to sort by where they can be found on a plant. This sort includes flowers, seeds, leaves, stems, roots, and fruits. There are 6 images for each plant part.

Pictures Included:

Flowers: artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower, dandelion, honeysuckle, squash blossom

Fruits: apple, banana, blueberry, lime, pepper, raspberry

Leaves: kale, lettuce, mint, parsley, purple cabbage, spinach

Roots: carrot, garlic, onion, parsnip, radish, sweet potato

Seeds: almonds, beans, coconut, corn, peas, sesame seeds

Stems: asparagus, bamboo shoots, celery, leek, rhubarb, scallions

The plants sorting mats come in two formats. The first set are full page sorting mats where students place the pictures directly on the mats. The second set contains header cards that the picture cards can be placed under. The header cards are available in 2 sizes, one is large sized for table top activities and the other is small enough to fit in a task box.

How to Use:

Students will place the sorting mats on a table or on the floor. They will look at each plant picture and place it on the correct mat.

Where to Use:

• Science Center - The teacher can place the mats and cards in the science center for students to work independently or with a partner to complete.

• Morning Tub or Basket - The teacher can place the mats and cards in a morning bin for students to work on while their classmates arrive to class.

• Small Group Activity - The teacher can lead this sorting activity with a small group of students at a time.

The real photographs in this set provide students with easy to recognize images of different edible plants.

These mats and cards are a low prep science center for teachers to prepare. The cards will need to be printed and cut out. This center should be laminated for durability.