Plants

Without plants to provide us with the air we breathe and the food we eat, life as we know it would cease to exist. Plants, for kids exploring this awe-inspiring kingdom, takes them from their humble roots to the many ways that they are intertwined with the lives of every living creature. Starting with photosynthesis, you will learn how plants turn sunlight into sugar that fuels their growth, and how their products and by-products, including oxygen, seeds, fruit, and dead leaves, are crucial to the cycle of life. You will see how plants have adapted to their environments in fascinating ways, from developing colors and scents that attract certain animals to growing unique structures, like massive roots that stabilize top-heavy trees and sharp thorns to discourage predators.

Discover how certain human activities, like burning fossil fuels and cutting down rain forests, threaten to upset the natural balance that plants have with the animal world, creating excess carbon dioxide that is the main culprit in global warming. A section on the many medicinal uses of plants, for kids interested in avoiding yucky Tylenol, and an overview of how plants have fuelled the works of great artists and feature in art forms like ikebana and bonsai add fun facts to this fanciful tour of all things green.