Vegetable word search

Roots, leaves, stems and pods: this theme covers the whole vegetable garden, from carrots, potatoes and peas to less common picks like kohlrabi, rutabaga and bok choy. A few kitchen favorites are included even though botanists would argue: the tomato, pumpkin and cucumber are fruits in the scientific sense, and the mushroom is not a plant at all but a fungus.

Some history to share: early cultivated carrots were usually purple or yellow, and the orange carrot became common only a few centuries ago. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards and kohlrabi are all forms of one wild plant, wild cabbage, bred over time for its leaves, its flower buds or its stem.

Teachers can use the word list for a "where does it grow" activity: underground (carrot, beet, radish), above ground on a stalk or vine (corn, peas, zucchini) or as leaves (spinach, lettuce, kale). It also pairs well with a school garden or a trip to a farmers' market.

Play tip: several names hide spelling traps. BROCCOLI and ZUCCHINI both have a double C, ASPARAGUS has three A's and CAULIFLOWER is spelled with AU. Say the letters to yourself as you scan, not the sound of the word.