oh hi i'm justin look what my neighbor got me she has a few like it and she figured that i'd like
one i love it you probably already know that this is a plant but did you know that this is a plant
or that this is a plant too grass trees bushes flowers they're all plants plants can be huge
they can be tiny they can be colorful they can be weird looking plants come in all different
shapes and sizes plants can even grow on the water too like this lily pad or the seaweed in the water
plants are everywhere but i don't want to just leave it at that so let's go
over the different parts of a plant and see what makes a plant a plant
now first things first plants are living things like how you and i are living things they're
plants provide food they provide shade they provide homes and habitats for many people
and animals plus plants put oxygen into the air that's the stuff we breathe so
let's face it we could not live without plants here's a cool thing about plants plants are the
only living things to make their own food plants don't go to a restaurant and order a hamburger
or cook up some eggs from themselves no they don't need to plants make the food themselves by soaking
in sunlight by taking nutrients and water from the soil think of a plant as being a small but
very efficient factory each part of the plant has a specific job to do in this amazing process
now remember plants need water to live like you and i do and when you get thirsty you just
grab a glass of water but plants can't do that they don't have hands they can't hold a glass
at least i've never seen a plant do that have you so how do plants take in water
by the roots the roots go under the ground and spread out around the soil
and soak in water they also help support the plant by serving as an anchor keeping them well grounded
they don't just soak up water they also soak up important nutrients that the
plant needs to grow and be healthy like how you and i need vitamins and minerals
whether they're big small straight crooked roots will always be there to help the plant
by soaking up nutrients and water this tree has roots that are so big that even though they're
underground they kind of poke out from the top of the soil too hey this reminds me of a joke
what did the farmer's wife say when the farmer said he was going to enter
a vegetable-growing contest i'll be rooting for you
root i'll be roo forget it moving up from the roots we have the stem
the stem of a plant is like a transportation system think of it like a railroad that's carrying
the important elements to all the different parts of the plant the roots pass off their water and
nutrients to the stem and the stem branches out and carries it to the rest of the plant
branches of a tree are stems some of them are big and thick like this tree trunk a tree trunk is one
humongous stem see how it goes and it branches out to get to all the other parts of the tree
this branch seems like it's a nice resting spot for this parrot but that branch is still
doing its job taking nutrients and water around the plant and out to the leaves
leaves have an important job too their job is to take in sunlight some leaves are big
and wide some are thick like on this cactus and some have
different markings on them but all leaves do their job of taking in the sunlight for the plant
where do plants come from well most plants start their life as seeds tiny seeds that only
start to grow when they get all the things they need air sunlight nutrients and water
oh wow look at that this seed got all the stuff it needed and now the growing process has begun
new plants come around when seeds are spread and carried some seeds are spread by people like this
person planting some when you blow on a dandelion you're spreading the seeds those seeds are carried
off by the wind some animals carry seeds too seeds like this will get stuck to an animal's fur and
go along wherever they go and they'll eventually end up back in the soil come to think of it i've
had seeds like these stuck to my clothes before i guess that means i've carried some seeds
birds bats and elephants spread seeds too they eat the fruit of plants but they don't digest the
seeds so their droppings contain seeds that will go back into the soil and make a new plant nature
am i right ah and then there's flowers many plants have beautiful flowers that bloom at a certain
time of year here you can see the growing process for a sunflower plant first it starts with the
seed and then the stem starts growing up and oop look how the roots are going down into the ground
and then the leaves start to unfurl and then the plant grows up and up and up
sunflowers have big yellow flowers on top of long thin stems birds love to eat the
seeds in the center of the sunflower you might have eaten some sunflower seeds too
here you can see the entire plant with its flower stem leaves and small white roots
many times a plant will have flowers that eventually turn into fruit
here's a picture of a plant can you guess what type of fruit is going to grow from these flowers
i'll give you a hint the fruit is crispy and delicious
goes really good in a pie it's got little seeds inside that we don't eat yes apples
this is an apple tree and the seeds from the apples if you plant them will grow into
a new apple plant and eventually sprout and grow tall into a big new apple tree
you know that apples are a fruit we eat well when you're eating a vegetable you're eating
different parts of plants too for example a carrot is the root of a carrot plant celery
is a stem spinach is a leaf and so is lettuce and parsley this is the stem of a broccoli plant
and these are the flowers have you ever eaten a beet here's a picture of a beet plant growing we
eat the root of the beet plant but you can also see the stem and the leaves we eat those too
so now you might just look at plants a little bit differently now that you know
so much more about them but all they talk about food is
really making me hungry i wonder what kind of a plant i'm going to make myself to eat
but before i go eat i got to give some water to this little guy put them in a sunny window
then all the roots stems and leaves will work together to make the plant grow all right i'll
see you next time for another lesson in our tell me about series and remember to always be clever