One fascinating area of botany to learn about is carnivorous plants for kids. Also, you’ll find more ideas on my page Carnivorous Plants.
They are clever plants which lure in their prey, trap them, and devour them like the fiercest predator.
There are over 600 carnivorous plant species known to science and a handful of them are commonly known, one being the Venus Flytrap.
This activity today is a bit exaggerated and resembles Audry from Little Shop of Horrors but gives kids an idea of the anatomy and how the Venus fly trap works in a fun and silly way.
First, look at some of these resources for studying about these fascinating plants.
Carnivorous Plants Resources for Kids
11 Carnivorous Plants Resources
Add some of these books and resources for a carnivorous plants unit study for multiple ages.
Eaten Alive by Carnivorous Plants. This is a natural science book for a young audience. There are over 760 different kinds of meat-eating plants in the world. They attract, capture, and digest their prey in order to supplement the nutrients that are deficient in the soil they grow in. This book describes all four major types of traps used by the meat-eating plants. Children will learn all the tricks these plants have in store for their unsuspecting prey.
Carnivorous plants: they're weird, they're gorgeous, and they're the perfect addition to your urban jungle of pothos, snake plants, and succulents. However, they can also be intimidating to grow and care for. Let Killer Plants be your guide as it walks you through the different types of carnivorous plants and how to keep each variety alive and well.
This Coloring Book is a lovely tool to express your creativity and embody your colorful ideas.
35 pages to color With custom sized pages (8,5" x 11") and soft cover this book is perfect for keeping it at hand wherever you go. With it's artful cover page this coloring book will always brighten up your life and be an eye-catcher for everyone else.
Meat-Eating Plants - a carnivorous plant story. There are over 760 kinds of meat-eating plants in the world. They developed this amazing meat-eating habit in order to survive in their mineral-poor environment. There are four major types of traps used by carnivorous plants: pitfall trap, sticky-leaf trap, snap-trap, and suction trap in the water. All these trap mechanisms are explained using amazing color images. Youngsters will explore the wonders of nature as they read along about these amazing plants!
Get ready to dive into the thrilling world of carnivorous plants with "Predator Plants"! This enchanting guide is designed to captivate the minds of both kids and their parents. With 20 fascinating questions answered, this comprehensive book unravels the mysteries of these
botanical wonders, exploring their unique characteristics and abilities.
Elizabite is a carnivorous plant who eats insects as appetizers and enjoys hotdogs for snacks. Whether it walks, talks, flies, or barks, Elizabite is ready to make a meal of it. Her cheerful, hungry smile and infinite appetite attract much attention - a scientist examines her, a professor studies her, and everyone agrees that she is one of a kind. In an effort to control her diet and her unpredictable temper, Elizabite's admirers chain and muzzle her. But not even a barbed wire fence can prevent her from following her heart's (and stomach's) desire! Only when her unique appetite prevents a crime does Elizabite win the respect she deserves.
- Easy And Fun To Grow - Franki "The Ferocious" Fly Trap - Great Kids Gift
- Just Add Water! - Everything Else To Keep Your Terrarium Is Included.
- Watch Out Flies! - Plants Will Grow Into Bug Eating Monsters!
- Each Kit Comes With A Genuine Jasper Stone (Color Varies)
This book offers readers a bug’s-eye view into the strange and fascinating world of carnivorous plants. From the “jaws” of the Venus flytrap to the pretty sundew plant whose delicate tentacles entrap its prey, the unique anatomy and behaviors of meat-eating plants are detailed with clear, engaging text and art.
Discover a variety of carnivorous plants, including the Venus fly trap, sundew, pitcher plant, and bladderwort. The natural world comes alive for young readers (Ages 6-7) with Rookie Read-About "RM" Science! With striking, full-color photos and just the right amount of text, this series immediately involves young readers as they discover intriguing facts about the fascinating world around them.
There are plants that prickle, sting, and even munch insects for lunch! So, never bite a strange plant—it might bite back! Stunning photographs combine with lively illustrations and engaging,
age-appropriate stories in DK Readers, a multilevel reading program guaranteed to capture children's interest while developing their reading skills and general knowledge.
Live Carnivorous Plants Including Venus Fly Traps, Sundew and Pitcher Plants.
Just Add Water! - Everything Else To Keep Your Terrarium Is Included.
Next, look at some of these facts about carnivorous plants for kids.
4 Fascinating Carnivorous Plants For Kids to Learn About
- Venus Flytrap- While this exotic-looking plant looks like it comes from the depths of the Amazon rainforest it is only native to North and South Carolina. They primarily eat spiders and ants and only 5% of their diet is winged. This plant has tiny little hairs that when disturbed trigger a reaction from the plant, if the bug stays for longer than a few seconds the “mouth” of the Venus flytrap closes over the poor unfortunate bug. They dissolve the bug into liquid and absorb it. Fun fact, they rarely eat their pollinators.
- Pitcher Plants- Are composed of modified leaves known as pitfall traps, a mechanism with a deep cavity that is filled with digestive liquids that attract and drown its victims in the nectar inside. There are pitcher plants that grow in wetland areas of the eastern part of the US and Canada as well as in places like Australia and Madagascar. They can be anywhere from 6 inches to 36 inches tall.
- Butterwort- This particular plant feasts on gnats, springtails, and other small insects. Their method of capture is using their leaves that are covered in fine translucent hairs to secrete a greasy sticky substance. This substance smells like nectar and gleams attractively in the sun. It secretes enzymes and acids to kill and dissolve prey that the plant absorbs.
- Sundews- These are similar to fly paper, they attract insects with a sweet and sticky substance that also holds them fast. Their tentacle-type leaves then curl around it and smother them. About 50% of the species is found in Australia. While it only takes 15 minutes for a sundew to kill their prey it can take weeks for them to digest it.
Moreover, you’ll love these other resources and a few YouTube videos.
Activities to Learn About Carnivorous Plants
- Free Carnivorous Plants Lapbook
- Carnivorous Plants Unit Study
- Watch this interesting video The Wild World of Carnivorous Plants on YouTube.
- Free Carnivorous Plants Notebooking Pages & Easy Hands-on Science Activity
- What’s Inside a Venus Flytrap? Goes along very well with today’s craft, letting them see and understand each of the parts of the Venus flytrap.
Finally look how to make this fun Venus Fly Trap paper plate craft.
Carnivorous Plants For Kids – Venus Fly Trap Craft
You will need:
- A paper plate
- 2-3 straws
- Red craft glue
- Green craft glue
- White cardstock
- Small terracotta pot
- Beans or small pebbles
- Green tape or tissue paper
- Green tissue paper
- Hot glue gun/sticks
- Scissors
First, paint the inside (the eating surface) red, leaving a small lip unpainted all the way around for the green. Wipe off excess paint with a dry brush to speed up drying time.
Paint the backside of your paper plate green all over.
And the small lip on the other side.
While your main plant piece is drying you can work on the other parts. To create a sturdier stem, I taped 3 straws together with green tape. You can also wrap and tape green tissue paper around instead.
Cut the “teeth” which are called marginal spikes out of white cardstock. Bend a bit of the end to give a flat surface to glue them in place.
Once the paint on the plate is dry, fold it in half with the red on the inside, and give it a sharp crease.
Open it back up and glue the spikes in place all around the inner lip.
Hot glue the stem into place on the bottom, you will need to use a good puddle of hot glue and hold it in place until it cools. Glue on a piece of green tissue twisted into a leaf shape.
Fill the pot with beans, rice, or small pebbles to weigh it down and create “soil”. Push the stem into the pot to hold it securely.
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