The life cycle of a dandelion
Description
A look at the life cycle of a dandelion including wind-aided seed dispersal. Once fertilisation has taken place the plant will produce seeds. Plants such as dandelions often use wind to transport seeds. Each dandelion seed comes with its own individual parachute. This device works very well and only a slight wind will carry seeds high into the sky. As there are so many adult plants in one place there is no space for the next generation of plants to grow. The dandelion therefore needs the wind to carry the seeds far away. New plants are formed and the whole process starts again.
Classroom Ideas
This clip could be used as an introduction to the 鈥楲ife cycle of a plant鈥. Identify the main stages of the dandelion鈥檚 cycle from the clip, then draw or order pictures to show its cyclical nature. An extension or follow up activity could be to identify other plants that disperse their seeds using the wind. Pupils could undertake an autumn nature walk to find examples and discuss how the seeds are spread to different locations and which parent plant they belong to.
Living things
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