Facts about Sunflowers

  • Sunflower plants can be from 3 to 18 feet tall.

  • One sunflower can have up to 2000 seeds.

  • There are more than sixty different kinds of sunflowers in the U.S.

  • Sunflowers originally came from the U.S.

  • There are two kinds of sunflower seeds- black and striped

  • Oil  is made from black seeds.

  •  Snacks are made from striped seeds.

  • Sunflower seeds are also used to feed birds.

  • Sunflowers are the state flower for Kansas.

  • There is only one flower on each sunflower stem.

 

      

                                           

AIMS Activity Counting Sunflower Seeds

Mrs. Burns  with the sunflower before we counted.

 

Ms. Tiffanni, Ms. Cheryl, and Ms. Linda helping with seeds.

One of the seeds that we sprouted.

We estimated how many seeds!

Counting seeds 

We estimated the circumference.

Meranda was the winner!

 

1496  seeds!!

Our Results

 

Name seeds   circumference
Shyanna   40    
 Amelia  800    
 Evan  116    
 Boone  106    
 Austin  500    
Meranda   109     Winner
Kendrianna  1000      
 Brailee  150       
 Peyton  700     
 Adron  900     
 Liz  3000    
 Braxton  2000    
 Jacob  1900    
 April  1600 Winner   
 Chase  118    
 Olivia  1010    

We all enjoyed eating sunflower seeds!

One of the  most famous picture of sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh

 

Sunflower Books

 Sunflower House by Eve Bunting
  Sunflower House by Kathryn Hewitt
  S is for Sunflowers by Gerald Legg
  Katie and the Sunflower by James Mayhew
  Sunflower by Miela Ford
  Diary of a Sunflower by Carol Pugliano
  This is the Sunflower by Lola M. Schaefer
  Life as a Sunflower by Victoria Parker
  Sunflower Sal by Janet S. Anderson
  Ten Seeds by Ruth Brown
  Backyard Sunflowers by Elizabeth King
  Field of Sunflowers by Neil Johnson
  Kansas Katie: A Sunflower Tale by Jerri Garretson 
 
 

Links

  A to Z Teacher Stuff
    Ms. Fulgham's Plant page
    Sunflower Theme
    Here Come the Sunflowers!
    Sunflower Unit

 

Activities

  • Display a variety of seeds.  Have children compare  the size, shape, texture, and color of the different kinds of seeds.
  • What are some other words that have "sun" in them?
  • KWL chart about sunflowers
  • What are four things a plant need to grow?
  • Taste sunflower seeds- shelled and unshelled
  • Name the parts of a sunflower.  Review what each part can be used for.
  • Display Van Gogh's "Sunflowers".  Discuss Van Gogh and his use of the color yellow.