Activity 1: Vegetable Jungle

Scientific Inquiry: Stating the Facts About Vegetables

1. Read Vegetable Jungle and complete the Doodle Bugs.
2. Pass out vegetables, giving each group a broccoli piece, celery stalk, lettuce leaf, green pepper and potato. Alternatively, you may set up stations for each vegetable and have students rotate as a group from one station to the next.
3. Students will measure the vegetables’ weights using the scale and lengths or circumferences using the measuring tape. Remind students to include units (centimeters or inch and grams or ounces) when recording measurements in the Vegetable Facts table.
4. After measurements are complete, cut the vegetables in half.
5. Instruct students to use their hand lenses to study the inside and outside of each vegetable and record the color, size and shape under “appearance” in the table.
6. Discuss the classification of each vegetable. “What group does the vegetable belong in? Does this vegetable grow below or above ground? Does it contain seeds? How did you know it belonged in the root, stem, leaf, flower, or fruit group?”
7. Instruct students to complete the Vegetable Facts table.

Activity 2: Vegetable Rainbow

Scientific Inquiry: Color Changes in Acids and Bases

1. Place two pots on a double burner. Have students measure and pour 4 cups of water into each pot. Bring the water to a boil.
2. Read Vegetable Rainbow and complete the Doodle Bugs while the water heats.
3. Have students carefully measure and add three tablespoons of vinegar (acid) to pot A and three tablespoons of baking soda (base) to pot B.
4. Use the slotted spoons to stir the water in each pot.
5. Use the slotted spoon to gently add a piece of each kind of vegetable to pot A and to pot B. Place remaining raw vegetables on plate C (C=raw).
6. After the color changing reaction occurs, remove the vegetables from the water and place on corresponding plates (plate A = acid, plate B = base). Allow students to observe the color changes.
7. Compare the raw pieces to the cooked pieces. “What colors are the raw vegetables, the vegetables cooked in an acid, the vegetables cooked in a base? Which vegetable changed colors the most, the least? Did the vegetables change colors more or less in the acidic water or basic water? Did the color changing reactions happen slowly or quickly? Would you want to eat broccoli cooked in the acidic water? Why or why not?”
8. Instruct students to complete the Color Facts table and final question.

Activity 3: Eating Vegetables

Scientific Inquiry: Scientific Soup

1. Begin by placing your large pot on the hot plate burner. Add the tomato juice. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat so the broth simmers (little bubbles).
2. Read Eating Vegetables and complete the Doodle Bugs.
3. Next, have students carefully measure and add one teaspoon of pepper and one teaspoon of oregano.
4. Allow students to help add the potatoes, carrots, corn and green beans.
5. Student helpers may take turns stirring the soup.
6. Direct your students to smell the soup and decide as a class if they want to add additional spices.
7. With your guidance, students can decide how much of each spice to add. Allow students to measure and carefully add the extra spices.
8. Let the soup simmer for five minutes.
9. While the soup is simmering, discuss the variety of vegetables used (colors and types). In addition, you can explain the three components of soup: liquid (broth or juice), seasoning/spices and chunks of vegetables, meat, noodles, rice, etc.
10. Students may then begin brainstorming their own personal soup creation.
11. Serve soup in cups or bowl (not paper). Then let students try the soup.
12. Instruct students to rate their soup using the smiley face scale.
13. Next, students will create their own kind of soup and record the steps under My Soup Creation. Ask probing questions to help students with their soup creations. “What did you like best about our soup? What did you not like? What did we do or add first? What liquid would you use, tomato juice, chicken broth, beef broth? What did we add next? Would you make your soup spicier by adding chili powder & red pepper? Would you add any vegetables, meat, noodles, rice, beans?”