Journey North Tulip Project Lesson Outlines
Grade One
Lesson One
Length: 1 hour
Time: October-November
Before the Lesson, the teacher will
arrange to have a tulip bed ready
have enough bulbs for the class to plant
have one copy of the bulb diagram for each student
- Introduce the Journey North Website
Located in Minnesota
Continent-wide scientific project
Purpose: to track spring’s movement north through North America
II. What is a bulb?
Like a seed, but grows multiple times
Different varieties of plants that grow from bulbs
Tulip bulbs - edible, but treated with fungicide so don’t eat!
III. Parts of a bulb
Cut a bulb in half and show the children the baby plant inside the bulb
Have children find and color the bulb parts in their diagrams
base, where roots grow - color brown
scales, where food for the baby plant is stored - color orange
flower bud, protected from the cold by layers around it - green
stem, which grows upward in the spring - green
IV. What happens when the bulb is planted?
Roots grow
Bulb waits for spring before sprouting (it knows it is spring when the ground thaws)
Students predict when their bulbs will sprout
Tulip and Daffodil bulbs planted upside down will still send stem up and roots down. but some bulbs will not grow unless planted right side up
V. Plant bulbs
Each student or pair of students has a bulb to plant
Drill holes, sprinkle fertilizer, place bulbs, cover with dirt, water
Remind students that the bulbs will wait for spring to sprout
Remind students of their predictions
Lesson Two
Length: 15 - 30 minutes
Time: early March
I. Garden Update
Ask students if their bulbs have sprouted yet. Discuss why or why not
Display Journey North website updates
Check map for emerging bulbs. Discuss pattern of where bulbs are emerging and possible reasons why.
Review and edit predictions from last fall
II. Venn diagram
compare tulips with another spring flowering bulb (daffodil?)
have flower samples if possible, pictures if not possible
Lesson Three
Length: 15 - 30 minutes
Time: early April
I. Garden Update
Check garden for emerged tulips and/or tulips in bloom
Display Journey North website updates
Check map for emerging/flowering tulips. Discuss pattern
Compare predictions with reality
Explain to students that the tulip leaves provide nourishment to the bulb
II. Phototropism
Tulips and other flowers lean toward the sun
Tulips and other flowers close at night and open in the day
Some flowers only last one day and die at dusk or dawn
(day lilies, morning glories, evening primroses)
Display pictures of spring flowers and discuss their characteristics
Lesson Four
Length: 15 - 30 minutes
Time: early May
I. Garden Update
Check garden for tulips in bloom
Display Journey North website updates
Check map for flowering tulips. Discuss pattern
Discuss the cycle of life for tulips and other bulbs - leave bulbs alone until leaves have died back
II. Environmental adaptations
Discuss the garden habitat where our bulbs were planted
Discuss what care the bulbs required
Discuss what care summer and fall flowering plants require
Discuss pond plants, dessert plants, mountain plants