Journey North: International Plant Study Fall 2004

Tulip Garden Update: October 8, 2004

Today's Report Includes:

2 to 23 and Counting!
Volunteers Needed! Journey North Gardens in Every Capital City
Challenge Question #2
Teacher Tip: Bloom’s Taxonomy and Learning the Capitals
Going to Extremes: The Microclimate Challenge: Challenge Question #3
Another Just-for-Kids Booklet: The Microclimate Challenge
Homeschools and Journey North
Teacher Tip: Graphing Tulip Growth Predictions
Classroom Experiment Revealed: Karelitz Kids Design Experiment
How to Report to Journey North

Planting season has begun with 23 gardens planted

2 to 23 and Counting!

More gardeners are digging in! In last month's report there were 2 gardens reported planted, but the word got out around the globe! Gardeners in Alaska have already tucked their tulips into the garden.

What are your Official Journey North Garden planting plans?

Link to Tulips Planted

Volunteers Needed! Journey North Gardens in Every Capital City

Capital cities for USA

Capital cities for Canada

Can you help us plant a tulip garden in every capital in the US and Canada? What a great way to learn the capitals AND watch the greening of spring as it advances across North America.

Do you know a friend, a grandparent, or a relative who lives in a capital city? Please ask if they'd be willing to participate.

We will send a dozen Red Emperor bulbs for their capital city garden.

Use the maps and locate all the capital cities. Bookmark this list of cities. states and provinces. Then print your own study sheets!

Capital Cities for U.S. States and Canadian Provinces

Study the Canadian map to answer this question.

Challenge Question #2:
“The capital cities of the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territory and Nunavut are represented on the map. These cities may not participate in this garden project. Can you tell us why?”

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Teacher Tip: Bloom’s Taxonomy and Learning the Capitals
Teachers of excellence use a variety of instructional strategies and resources to respond to students' diverse needs. This year combine this Social Studies standard with the Journey North Gardens in Every Capital Project to better your understanding of the greening of spring across North America.

Bloom's Taxonomy and the Learning the Capitals

Going to Extremes: The Microclimate Challenge
Today more than ever we hear about downsizing to micro, nano and pico size. What is a microclimate? If you're looking for ideas for an Experimental Garden, explore the concept of a microclimate and try your skills at our Microclimate Challenge?
Here is the challenge: Cause two tulip bulbs to bloom as many days apart as possible. (Last year some students made them bloom 1 month apart.)

Try This!

Print and Read our downloadable, Just-for-Kids Booklet, “The Microclimate Challenge: Exploring Garden Sites” (see below)
After you plant your Official Journey North Garden in the place that BEST matches your general climate, look for two places that LEAST represent your general climate.
First learn about "microclimates."
See the lesson: "Understanding Microclimates: A Matter of Degrees"
Then find two areas whose microclimates are as different as possible. Find places where climatic differences are the most extreme. (Think about ALL of the factors that might affect the rate of tulip growth as you search for your two sites. Consider everything that will affect your bulb, from the moment you put it into the ground.)
Then tell us how you responded to this challenge!
Challenge Question #3:
"Where did you plant your two "Experimental Journey North Gardens" for the Microclimate Challenge? Describe your experiment, and explain why you chose the sites that you did. Finally, predict how many days there will be between the blooming of tulips at your two sites."

(To respond to this question, please follow the instructions below.)

Another Just-for-Kids Booklet: The Microclimate Challenge
This year dig a little deeper: Try the Microclimate Challenge!
Begin the Challenge by making and reading this Tulip Garden just-for-kids nonfiction booklet.

Assembling the printable "PDF" booklet is easy to do. Try making them with your students as an exercise in listening and following directions. Use this quick, easy project for introducing the study, building reading skills and supporting standards.

The Microclimate Challenge: Exploring Garden Sites
(Slide show)	(Downloadable booklet)
* Tip: Print-and-Fold Instructions for Booklet Assembly

Homeschools and Journey North

Students measuring their bulbs before planting
C redit: Cavillier

Journey North provides excellent inquiry-based opportunities for all students. Homeschooling can provide students flexible time to study plants and the seasons and participate in an international science experiment with the tulip project. Here’s what one group shared:

"The Blue Ridge Homeschool Group is thrilled to participate in Journey North this year! The Blue Ridge Homeschool Groups consists of about 25 homeschooling families in the Pocono Mountain area of Pennsylvania. There are 10 families participating in this project. The kids participating comprise the Junior Group, a subset of the larger Blue Ridge Group. Ages range from preK-third grade..."

Read on for more pictures and story

Teacher Tip: Graphing Tulip Growth Predictions

Predicting tulip growth

Here’s a tip to help you visualize your tulip growth predictions. Laura Grimms, a 5th Grade teacher in Kidron, OH shares a good idea!

Graphing Tulip Growth Predictions with a Double-bar Graph

Find more helpful tips here:

Getting Started with Journey North

Classroom Experiments Found: Karelitz Kids Design Experiment
Last update we asked what kinds of things you might like to learn about temperatures underground in your garden. At Moharimet Elementary in Madbury, NH students wanted to know if temperatures around the bulbs would rise as they begin to grow in the spring.

“We wonder if the growth energy creates heat,” they asked.
Here is their plan for exploring this interesting question: “We will use a monitor that has two probes, one for the soil next to the bulb and one for the soil away from the bulb.”

Did you find some questions to explore?

How to Report to Journey North

Don't forget to report when you have PLANTED your Journey North Garden

As soon as you plant YOUR garden, be sure to let us know! In next month's update, we expect to have many garden locations to report to you.

Simply press the "Owl" button to report from your site.Wait 5 minutes then refresh the map page to see your site pop up on the map. (From the same button, you can also "Go to the Sightings Database" and read comments from all gardeners.)

How to Respond to Today's Challenge Question

IMPORTANT: Answer only ONE question in each e-mail message.

1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-tulip@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question #2 (or #3).
3. In the body of the message, answer ONE of the questions above.

The Next Tulip Garden Update Will be Posted on November 5, 2004.