Root and Leaf Salad

Materials

• root vegetables (such as carrots and radishes, with the leaves attached, if possible)
• leaf vegetables (such as lettuce and spinach)
• salad dressing

Key Science Concepts

• Many of the foods we eat come from plants.
• We eat certain leaves, roots, fruits, and seeds.

Vocabulary

Encourage children to use plant words like vegetable, root, and leaf and science process words such as compare, contrast, and observe.

Directions

Tell children you are going to examine some root and leaf vegetables and then make a salad to eat together.

1. Have children wash their hands.
2. Spread out the vegetables and ask children what they notice about these plants. Ask, Do you know the name of these vegetables? Have you eaten any of these before? How are the vegetables the same? How are they different?
3. Explain that the group will be making a salad using some leafy vegetables and some root vegetables. You might want to tell children that not all plants are safe to eat, but these plants are.
4. Prepare the vegetables for a salad. Add dressing before you eat.

Reflect and Share

While eating salad together, introduce the idea that we eat different parts of plants. Ask:

• Which of these vegetables do you think are root vegetables? Which ones are leaf vegetables?
• What is different about the root and leaf vegetables?
• Which vegetable is your favorite?

Have children draw a picture of the salad in their Plant Journals. Add any vegetable not previously discussed to the “Plants We Eat” chart.