You can’t go far without seeing grass, it can be found in most places including our back gardens, woodland, fields and even on sand dunes. Grass comes in many different forms and sizes. Here are 10 Awesome facts about grass that all kids need to know.
- There are over 10,000 species of grass to be found throughout the world.
- Grass is estimated to cover an amazing 20% of the earths vegetation. Wow that’s a lot of grass.
- Bamboo plants are a type of grass and can grow up to an enormous 40 metres (120 feet) high.
- Grasses are a valuable food source for us humans and animals, they provides us with wheat corn and rice. Which is in many foods we eat everyday, such as bread and sugar. Can you imagine life without sugar or bread?
- The technical word for grass is “graminoids”.
- Grass can also be used as a building material and is still used to today. Such as for thatched roofs and in rural parts of Africa and East Asia, it has been used to build entire shelters and dwellings. In China bamboo poles are currently used as scaffolding for building.
- Grass can also be used for making paper.
- Grass is used for many sports, including tennis, football, cricket and rugby to name a few. Can you imagine playing rugby on concrete or soil?
- Ever wondered why animals never run out of grass, even when they are constantly grazing? Unlike other plants that grow from the tip, grasses grow from their base. This enables grass to be grazed and also even burned, without damaging the growth point. Which means it is able to grow back quickly.
- Grass is incredibly old! In fact it is an amazing 200,000 years old. Scientists found one species of Seagrass dating back to this time. Wow! this makes grass one of the oldest living organisms ever to be discovered.
Fun grass activity
Make your very own grass head
Nature Grow and Learn 