Pine cone experiment at Forest School

Class: Forest School Year: 2020 - 2021

We learnt all about pine cones today at forest school and how some cones will stay on a pine tree for up to 10years before dropping off! The children found it interesting that a pine cone can be female or male with the female cones growing quicker and larger than the male. They learnt that a pine cone has scales and the seeds are hidden deep inside the scales. We then did an experiment where we places an opened pine cone in a tub of hot water to see what happened. The pine cone closed up! We learnt that this is because a pine cone will try to protect itself and the seeds  from extreme heat and cold by closing its scales.