Thursday, January 20, 2011

Carnivorous Plants

In our current Botany Lesson on Flowers, the children (the boys especially) loved learning about Carnivorous Plants.   Since one of the projects for this lesson was to "Build a Clay Model of a Flower," Rascal immediately decided to build a Venus Flytrap and then continued on to make all four of the carnivorous plants that they had studied.  The book suggested using Play-Doh, Clay, or Salt Dough, but personally we love using our Modeling Beeswax.  I thought he did a great job and wanted to share a picture with your all:

The Sundew, The Pitcher Plant, The Venus Flytrap, and The Bladderwort

Captain decided to just make a pretty red Lily (to the left of Rascal's Venus Flytrap pictured below), and Twinkle Toes also opted for a Lily (on the right), like the ones they had just finished dissecting.  

They have also really been enjoying working on the various mini-books for their Botany Lap Book.  The following illustrations are from Captain's Carnivorous Plant  Layered Book:

As the children complete each mini-book/activity for their Lap Books, we have been storing them in gallon sized ziplock bags (one for each child) and they will compile their first Lap Book as soon as they complete the fifth lesson.   After that they will begin working on a second Lap Book for the remainder of the year.   I'm sure we will post picture of the completed Lap Books, when the are finished.


  1. Those are fantastic, you have quite the sculpters there!!
    Our oldest two are past this level in science but I will tuck the idea away for our youngest three when they are old enough.

  2. Terrific! And out of beeswax too!

    I have two hanging pitcher plants in the Florida room, one's pitchers must be 8-10 inches long!

  3. How neat! My Hubby sees Pitcher Plants in the woods, when working, and told the boys he will take them out and show them sometime soon. They are very excited!

  4. Hey Jessica! I posted a slideshow of our Tropical Pitcher Plants today. Enjoy!

  5. I love all the things you do with modeling beeswax. How do you get it soft enough to use? Our's is hard as a rock!

  6. Karen ~ Our modeling wax is just as hard, but if you break off a piece, and hide it in the palm of your hand, and you will feel it soften. It takes a bit of patience, but my children don't seem to mind. This is a good activity for children to do during story time. It keeps their little hands busy while they listen.

    Another option is to place it in a little zip lock baggie and then put the baggie in a bowl of hot water to soften it quickly. As you are building your creations, the wax hardens again.

    If you want to make it easier to warm up again the next time, flatten the wax a bit or leave it in smaller pieces. If you leave it in a big ball it will be much harder to soften with your hands.

    I really love modeling beeswax! It allows my kids to create and sculpt without making a huge mess. :)



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