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Kids in the Garden, Ep 14: Cacti and succulents

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Succulent plant
Kids in the Garden, Ep 14: Cacti and succulents

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  3–4, 5–6


Have you heard of the 'cow crippler', 'living stones', or 'century plant'?

In this clip, presenter Nick Hardcastle will take you into the wonderful, wacky and very weird world of cacti and succulents.

Find out what they look like, what they need to grow, and how they are different.

But most importantly, find out why you should never cuddle a cactus!


Things to think about

  1. 1.What do you know about cacti and succulents? What do they look like, and in what type of natural environment might you find them? Can you guess why it would be better to cuddle a succulent than a cactus?
  2. 2.Listen as Nick talks about the spines of cacti. He explains that they are modified leaves. What does he say are the purposes of the spines? What are some of cacti's features that help them to collect and save water? What are the smooth 'cousins' of the cacti called? Why should cacti be planted in gravel?
  3. 3.Create a list of the cacti mentioned, including the 'cow crippler'. What does each one look like? Find out more about where these cacti live and about some of their unique adaptations and requirements. Explain how you could you make a succulent garden from cuttings.
  4. 4.Make your very own potted succulent garden. You might want to begin by describing or drawing the steps involved. Then begin designing and creating your garden. Don't forget to wear gloves when handling soil and plants.



Date of broadcast: 9 May 2005


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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