SAFETY WITH GROWING THINGS

From Stormie:
As with poisonous animals, we have dangerous plants where I live that are unique to my state of Florida, so my safety unit on poisonous plants might differ from yours.  So, I've simply started a list of general safety tips below from which we can develop science lessons.  But, for "poisonous plant" safety lessons, I suggest you contact your own state's poison control centers for specific information on plants that are unique to your state or region of the country (although many of the safety tips are the same no matter where we live.)

Some of the following information is from a fact sheet produced by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, and is written by Dawna L. Cyr and Steven B. Johnson, Ph.D

1. Children need to be taught not to eat any part of a plant unless they have permission from a knowledgeable adult.
2. Children love to play with plants in the yard.  We need to explain that plants can be played with, but not eaten.  Mushrooms in the yard need to be picked and disposed of as soon as possible.  Tell children not to eat them and that they are not the same mushrooms you buy in the grocery store.
3. Children should not pick any vegetables or fruit without supervision.  They may confuse good food with that which is harmful.

*We can remind our parents to keep harmful plants, fertilizers, and pest control products out of the reach of children.
*We can place picture books in our Science Centers introducing what some harmful plants look like.
*We can teach children to look but don't touch -- ask first!