Areas of Learning The World Around Us The Arts Personal Development and Mutual Understanding Learning Intentions We are learning: that the earth s structure determines the nature of plant growth; that the tongue is an organ in the human body and one of its functions is to detect taste; that changes in materials can be temporary or permanent; that some mixtures can be separated; to mix colours to create a desired effect; to respond to what we see by using drawing techniques; to use a range of food preparation skills with supervision; and to demonstrate an increasing range of food preparation skills. Throughout the activities links to the curriculum skills have been signposted. Get Inspired! What is ph? Being Creative Explain to the children that substances can be described as either an acid or an alkaline (base). ph is a way of measuring if they are acid or alkaline using a scale of 0 14. Substances measuring 1 6 are classed as acidic; lemon juice, for example, has a ph of 2. Those measuring 8 13 are classed as alkaline; bleach, for example, has a ph of 13. Substances with a ph of 7 are neither acid nor alkaline and are classed as neutral. Distilled water has a ph of 7. Ask the children to collect safe examples of food and drinks that taste either acidic or alkaline, such as orange juice, cola, grapefruit, tomatoes, avocado, distilled water, milk and lemon. Help the children to carry out a taste test. Explain that acids will taste sour, while alkaline substances will taste bitter. Can the children use their sense of taste to determine which product tastes acidic and which tastes alkaline? Discuss how our tongue is an organ that has taste buds responsible for detecting tastes. Signals are sent from the taste buds to the brain, which detects flavours. Explain that most acids and alkalines are very dangerous and that the children should never handle or experiment with them without adult supervision. Did You Know? Different soils have different ph measures. For optimal growth, the soil ph should read between 6 and 7 on the scale. This is why it s important to test your soil. Key Using ICT Using Maths Communication www.ccea.org.uk/growing 1
Red Cabbage Indicator Explain to the children that, to test the ph of soil, you can make your own indicator using red cabbage. Being Creative Show the children a Red Cabbage Indicator Colour Chart (Resource 1). Discuss how each colour on the scale indicates whether something is acid, alkaline or neutral. Explain that the colour of the red cabbage indicator they are going to make using distilled water is purple, the same colour as ph7 or neutral. If the soil they add to this indicator is acid or alkaline, it will change to one of the other colours. Explain that the children can compare the new colour to the chart to find out if their soil is acid, alkaline or neutral. Supervise the children making their cabbage indicator. If planning ahead, you may like to make extra to use in the ph Butterflies activity below. What you need Red cabbage leaves Sharp knife Chopping board Blender Distilled water Fine sieve Instructions 1. Pull the red cabbage leaves apart. 2. Next, tear the leaves into very small pieces. With supervision, use a sharp knife and a chopping board to chop them into tiny pieces. 3. Place the pieces into a blender and cover with distilled water. 4. Blend for 30 60 seconds. 5. Allow the mixture to stand for at least 10 minutes to allow the ph colour indicator pigment to seep out. 6. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to separate the solids from the liquid. Explain to the children that the remaining purple solution is their red cabbage indicator. Remind them to compost the leftover cabbage. See the Get Growing! section in this month, which outlines a step-by-step guide to testing your soil using the red cabbage indicator. www.ccea.org.uk/growing 2
ph Butterflies Help the children to make clothes peg butterflies, using what they know about ph to paint unique butterfly wings with acid and alkaline colours. Being Creative The children will need to wear safety clothing and goggles while they work, since the process is also a chemical reaction. What you need Before beginning the experiment, ask the children to create colour reactions by experimenting with mixing some of the acid and alkaline substances. Provide each child with two pieces of coffee filter paper. Invite them to soak their papers in leftover red cabbage indicator from the first activity and to then leave them in a warm place to dry. A range of samples of acid and alkaline substances, for example: lemon juice orange juice vinegar clear fizzy soda washing-up liquid or washing powder diluted 1:1 with water baking soda dissolved with 1 cup of water Red cabbage indicator (see Activity 1) Coffee filter papers Pipette or dropper Clothes pegs Clear-drying glue Pipe cleaners Craft stick-on eyes Safety clothing Safety goggles Instructions 1. Soak two pieces of coffee filter paper in red cabbage indicator left over from the first activity. 2. Leave the coffee filter papers in a warm place to dry. 3. Use a pipette or dropper to drop small amounts of chosen samples randomly onto the two pieces of coffee filter paper. Can you predict the colour results you will get in advance? www.ccea.org.uk/growing 3
4. While waiting artwork to dry, paint a clothes peg to represent the body of a butterfly. 5. When everything is dry enough to work with, cut the coffee filter paper in half. 6. Crumple the middle of each piece of coffee filter paper to form a narrow twist, leaving two wing shapes on either side. 7. Set the two pieces of coffee filter paper one above the other and clip both middles with the clothes peg body. 8. Open out the wings on either side to display the colours. 9. Finish off with a dab of clear-drying glue on the top of the peg and stick on two eyes and a piece of folded pipe cleaner to make the antenna. Being Creative www.ccea.org.uk/growing 4
Get Growing! Testing the ph of Soil Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making Now that spring has arrived, the children can start to prepare the soil for planting by: weeding; and collecting soil samples to test soil ph. Explain to the children that most garden plants prefer a ph of 6 to 7 mildly acidic to neutral. However, some have adapted to the extremes of acid or alkaline soil. Before going to the school garden, allow the children to watch Jilly s video Potting & Sowing (see ccea.org.uk) on how to weed. When the soil is clear of all weeds, divide the children into groups. Ask each group to collect a sample of soil from different locations in the garden. Explain that, to do this, they use a hand trowel to dig 3 4 inches down and put a scoop of this soil into a container. Ask them to label the container with the sample s location. Now it s time children to test their samples. Each group should collect the items listed below. What you need 4 clear glass jars, labelled A, B, C and D 400 ml red cabbage indicator (made in the first activity) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 tablespoon soil sample Instructions 1. Measure 100 ml of indicator into each of the four jars. 2. Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice into jar A. 3. Mix one tablespoon of baking soda into jar B. 4. Observe how the indicator colour changes. 5. Compare the colour of the results to the colours on the Red Cabbage Indicator Colour Chart (Resource A). Which test shows an acid and which shows an alkaline? Record your findings. 6. Mix one tablespoon of soil sample in to jar C. 7. Stir well, then allow the mixture time to settle. 8. When the soil is resting at the bottom of the jar, observe any change to the colour of the indicator. www.ccea.org.uk/growing 5
9. Again, compare the colour of the results to the colours on the Red Cabbage Indicator Colour Chart. 10. Also, compare the colour to jar D that contains only indicator. If the indicator colour in jar C stays the same shade of purple, the soil is neutral. Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Decision-Making Use the internet to find out which fruit and vegetables grow best in the type of soil you have. If you soil is very acidic or very alkaline, consider using additives to either increase or decrease the soil s ph before you begin planting. Ask each group for feedback on the ph of their soil sample. Did they find it to be acidic, alkaline or neutral? What overall conclusion can the class reach about the ph of the soil in the school garden? Interesting Fact We can alter soil ph by adding things to the soil. Lime or wood ashes help to raise the ph of acidic soils. Sulphur, coffee grounds or acid peat help to lower the ph of alkaline soils. www.ccea.org.uk/growing 6
Get Cooking! Garlic Recipes Managing Information Explain to the children that is the time for harvesting garlic. Garlic is part of the onion family and adds flavour to many different dishes around the world, particularly in Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. Explain that this vegetable has had many uses throughout the ages, but today it is known for its health benefits and as a healthy alternative to salt. Ask the children to carry out observational drawings of harvested garlic bulbs. Encourage them to open the outer skin to examine the inside of the bulb. Allow them to experiment with pencils or charcoal to roughly sketch the outline of the bulb. Encourage them to refer continually to the garlic bulb as they draw, defining the contours as they work. Ask them to try various techniques with pastels to add detail such as colour, shade and pattern. Allow the children to try some tasty garlic recipes. Garlic Bread Toasts Ingredients (serves 12) 2 baguettes or ciabatta loaves 100 g butter 4 6 cloves garlic handful parsley 50 g parmesan cheese Method 1. Preheat the grill to a high heat. 2. Peel and crush the garlic. 3. Finely chop the parsley. 4. Grate the parmesan cheese. 5. Mix the butter, garlic and parsley together in a bowl. 6. Slice the bread in half lengthwise. 7. Spread the garlic butter over the bread halves. 8. Place on a baking tray. 9. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on the bread. 10. Place the baking tray under the grill until the bread is golden and the cheese is bubbling. 11. Cut into slices. Sliced tomatoes, mushrooms or ham may also be added as toppings. www.ccea.org.uk/growing 7
Lemony Garlic Mayonnaise Managing Information Ingredients 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 1 tablespoon natural yogurt 1 2 cloves garlic ½ lemon Method 1. Peel and crush the garlic cloves. 2. Zest and squeeze the juice from the lemon. 3. Mix the garlic, lemon zest and juice with the mayonnaise and yogurt in a bowl. 4. Chill for 30 minutes. 5. Serve with oven baked fish fingers or chicken goujons. www.ccea.org.uk/growing 8
Resource A Red Cabbage Indicator Colour Chart ph under 7 = acid ph over 7 = base 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 A ph of 7 is neutral Some plants that prefer alkaline soil: Asparagus Brussels sprouts Cabbage Leeks Kale Some plants that prefer acid soil: Blueberry Rhubarb Parsley Potato Radish www.ccea.org.uk/growing 9