Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

Mystery Science Fruit Salad

In this reading, students learn how some mischievous people at Mystery Science made a "fruit salad" while thinking like plant scientists.

Wild Sunflowers, Wonderful New Traits

In this reading, students learn about two scientists who study wild sunflowers.

Extend the Future Flowers Game

If your students would like to continue playing the game from this lesson, we have created an additional set of Plant Cards. Print out one set of additional cards for each pair of students. Then, cut out the cards and shuffle them into the deck. The rules and pollinators will all remain the same as the original game.

Design a Flower

This activity from Smithsonian Education invites students to consider the adaptations flowers have developed that support pollination. Students match a particular flower’s adaptations with a particular pollinator. They also consider their own personal preferences (e.g. favorite colors and scents) and imagine what kind of flower they would want to pollinate.

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

• “How do bees make honey?” In this mini-lesson students learn how bees make honey! [The bees Doug mentions are a special type of bee called honey bees. Most bees actually don’t make honey!]

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms