Elementary Photosynthesis Activities

Incorporate fun activities when teaching photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is a complex scientific process whereby plants, algae and some bacterias use the energy they obtain from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen. It is one of the most essential processes for the maintenance of life on earth and one of the most difficult to teach. By using fun activities, teachers can assist student's comprehension of photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis Play

Have students perform a photosynthesis play. Assign the following roles: the sun, plant, water, carbon dioxide, energy from the sun, oxygen, sugar, a narrator, plants and animals. You may wish to create large nametags to identify which role students are playing.

Have the narrator narrate the process of photosynthesis. Begin with the sun sending energy to the plant. Have the energy, water and carbon dioxide circle around the plant, then sit down. Have the sugars and oxygen dance around the plants and animals.

Plant Growing Project

Grow plants with different levels of sunlight. To perform this project you need three plants that are the same species, green and about the same size. Place one plant in the sun, one plant in a closet and one plant somewhere where it doesn't receive much sunlight. Over a period of two to four weeks provide the same level of care for each plant (e.g., the same amount of water at the same frequency). Check the plants every three days to observe how they are doing by comparing their leaf color and size. Have the students write about what they observe and draw pictures illustrating their observations. At the end of the two to four weeks, discuss how the different levels of sunlight affected the plants and the photosynthesis process.

Cookies

For this project you need sugar cookies representing the sun, energy from the sun, plants, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, sugar, some animals and people. (The plants, animals and people cookies can be as many as necessary to ensure each child has a sugar cookie.) Use your imagination when it comes to making sugar cookies representing concepts like carbon dioxide--even a simple circle will do. You will also need enough frosting to frost the sugar cookies.

Begin by comparing photosynthesis to making sugar cookies. Explain that you need special ingredients to make sugar cookies and special ingredients for photosynthesis. Discuss the different ingredients you need to make sugar cookies and what elements are necessary to make photosynthesis. You can also compare the heat from the oven with the energy that comes from the sun and the oven with the sun. Tell the students that when the cookies are done baking, you have cookies and when the photosynthesis process is over, you have sugar and oxygen. You can also compare the smell of cookies baking with oxygen--the smell of cookies stays for a while but eventually goes way; it's the same for oxygen.

Let the students frost the cookies and arrange the cookies on the table to represent a photosynthesis diagram.

References

• Pro Teacher: Photosynthesis

Resources

• BBC: Food Chains