Section 2

Activity: Pulling Together With Natives - The Bradley Sisters' Story 

Overview:  .Students will engage in a weed pull and use manual removal strategies to return the balance of native plants in a 'weedy' area. Students will also illustrate or combine photographs from their weed pull session  into a wall sized storybook highlighting the Bradley sisters' method of weed removal.

Click on the links below to see newspaper images and headlines from students that are fighting the spread of invasive weeds in Monterey, California.

Headline 1

Headline 2

Grade Level: K-6
 

Focus: Life Science, Ecology, Investigation, Experimentation, Resources
 

Objectives:

• Students will know the four things they can do to stop the spread of invasive weeds. (Prevent, Pull, Plant Natives, Educate Others)
• Students will know the five methods of removing and controlling the spread of invasive weeds. (Manual, Mechanical, Biological, Cultural, and Chemical)
• Students will retell the story of the Bradley sisters' method of weed removal by forming a storybook or posters explaining the method.

Time Format: 1 session outdoors and 1 indoor session

Materials:
Gloves 
String and PVC piping
Insect pinning of the Hairy Weevil. (Toolbox)
"Special Agents In The War On Weeds" - Information sheet
Large paper pad

Note: Additional materials may vary greatly depending on the media used for making posters or storybooks.
 

Advanced Preparation:

1.  Gather the necessary materials including those necessary for the poster/storybook portion of the activity.
2.  Scout your neighborhood to find a 'weedy' areas containing the most noxious invasive weeds in Monterey County. Note: Iceplant is a weed that works great for this activity. Note: Make sure you obtain permission from the landowner or land manager to conduct this activity.
 
 
 
 

Activity:

1.  Begin by going to your 'weedy' area.  Explain to students that we are going to remove the invasive weeds from this area. 
Ask students:  Why would it be a good idea to remove the weeds?  What are they doing to the other plants?
Teacher Help:
After removing the weeds we will watch and maintain this area to keep it free from weeds. Identify the invading weeds that will be removed.  (Iceplant is an easy and fun example).  Point out to students that the weeds have managed to take over in this area.

Ask Students:  Can you find any native plants? Teacher Help:  Have students point out native plants. 

2.  Ask Students:  What would be a good way to get rid of these weeds? 

Teacher Help:  Organize the students answers by making a list on the paper pad.

Example:
 

After organizing the answers show students the laminated photos of removal methods. 
Ask students which category each photo would fit into.  Save the biological method photos until last.  When displaying the Hairy Weevil photo read the "Special Agents In The War On Weeds - information sheet aloud.

3.  Tell the students that each of these methods are good ways of getting  rid of the weeds.  Discuss with students the negative impacts of each method and ways of counteracting those negatives.

Teacher Help:
Manual:  Pulling can take a long time and only covers a small area.
Mechanical:  Mowing or plowing can spread seeds and destroy native plants.
Biological:  Grazing Animals (sheep, cattle), Insects from the weeds native habitat can become pests and invaders.
Cultural:  Changing our habits is not enough we must also work to eliminate the weeds.
Chemical:  Some chemicals if not used properly can harm the soil, plants, animals, and water in an ecosystem.
 

4.  Explain to students that we are going to use the Manual method of removing weeds in this area.  We are going to depend on everyone "pulling together" to remove these weeds. Demonstrate the correct way to pull the weeds for students.  Explain that if we don't pull the root of the plant it may be able to grow back quickly.

Teacher Note:  You may want to have students focus on one area by marking the area off with string and PVC pipe.  This pulling activity can be made into a 'Weed Olympics'.

Suggestions:

• Have groups of students compete to see who can make the biggest pile of weeds.
• Have students throw the weeds onto a tarp with a 'bull's eye' trash can set up in the middle.

Part 2: In the Classroom

The Bradley Sisters' Story

Everyday the Bradley sisters would go for a walk with their dog in the park next to their home.
One day they noticed that the beautiful trees and flowers that they saw since they were little girls were disappearing.
Instead, they were replaced with thorny, ugly, invading weeds.
The sisters decided, "These weeds have to be stopped or we will have no beautiful trees and flowers left in our park."
Everyday the Bradley sisters went on their walks, but this time they did something different.
The sisters agreed to pull a little bit of the weeds each time they went for a walk in the park.
They pulled them with their bare hands.  Ouch!
They only pulled the weed that grew close to beautiful native trees and flowers. They pulled them from the creeks and meadows.
Slowly the beautiful native trees and flowers were able to grow and grow.  Until they forced all the weeds away.
The Bradley sisters were proud of their success. They had cleared 40 acres of  weeds from the park with the help of the natives.  They even kept a map of where they had pulled weeds to make sure the weeds never returned again to their beautiful park

Ask Students:
What method of removal did the Bradley sisters use?  Manual
Were we able to get all of the weeds in our area? No. We cannot get all of the seeds in the ground or weeds from other areas. Teacher Help: Stress the importance of pulling weeds over time to slowly return the balance of native plants.
How can the native plants help us get rid of the weeds?  Pulling weeds can help the natives come back into the area and push the weeds out.
Why should we keep a map of where we have pulled?  We will be able to keep track of the weeds and tell others about our work to restore the native plants.
 

6.  Have students create a poster or storybook using the Bradley sisters' story from above.  Have students use photos or draw the important steps in the Bradley method. Have students draw or collect before and after photos.
 

Wrap-Up/ Evaluation

1.  Have students list or draw examples featuring the five methods used to remove/control the spread of invasive weeds. (Manual, Mechanical, Biological, Cultural, Chemical)

2.  Have students explain/write/draw about the four ways kids can prevent the spread of invasive weeds.  (Prevent, Pull, Plant Natives, Educate Others)

3.  Have students retell the story of the Bradley sisters' method of weed removal by acting in a play, making drawings, or creating a storybook/poster of the steps they used to remove the weeds.

Going Further

Optional Activity:  Have students invent their own weed removal system. 
This can take the form of an invention or animal that could be drawn out or constructed. 
Have students explain which  removal methods are used in  their invention.