Join our Native Plant Research Contest for Texas Middle Schools!
We are inviting all middle schools (grades 6-8) across Texas to participate in our first ever Force of Nature research competition! It is a chance to get outside and learn about the amazing native plants we have in Texas. Here is how you can participate:
1) Form a Team
Designate a school advisor and form a team of students who will work on the research project. Teams can consist of any middle school group – a science class, a school garden club, a home school group, etc. Engage your local Native Plant Society of Texas chapter to serve as mentors! Team registration closed on September 30, 2024.
2) Choose a Topic
Determine which Texas native plant topic you would like to explore with your research. Refer to some of our sample research topics below for ideas.
3) Conduct Research
Form your research hypothesis, design your experiment, and conduct your research, Create a school native plant garden (or utilize an existing garden) to make observations and collect data. Get our Native Plant Garden Starter Guide to help you plan your garden.
4) Present Findings
Create a short slide presentation (no more than 25 slides) to showcase your findings to our NPSOT judges! See below for the criteria our judges will be using to review the projects. The winning school will receive a trophy, a $300 garden grant, and native plant books for their library.
Competition Timeline
Now through September 30, 2024– Register your team and start on your project.
October 23, 2024 – Zoom Q&A call with participating schools
March 31, 2025 – all research presentations are due.
April 30, 2025 – winning school is announced
Competition Prizes
The school with the winning research project will receive:
- A trophy for their school
- $300 grant for garden plants and supplies
- $100 grant for native plant books for their school library
Three additional schools will receive honorable mention awards and a $50 gift card to Native American Seed.
All students participating in the competition will receive a Force of Nature vinyl sticker.
Example Force of Nature Research Topics
Here are some ideas to help you brainstorm a research topic. Your topic does not have to be from this list; it just has to be related to Texas native plants. Texas native plants are those plants that have been growing in Texas before European settlement. Check out our plant database for over 400 Texas native plants.
- Research Texas native edible plants.
- Design and plant a native plant edible garden.
- Research Texas native plants that can be used for dyeing.
- Find out which native plants were used for dyeing by indigenous peoples.
- Design and plant a native plants dye garden.
- Create dyes to dye fabric or yarn. Create art with dyed materials.
- Study germination rates of Texas native milkweed seeds (could be another seed type).
- Test effectiveness of different germination methods (e.g., Cold stratification, stratification with gibberellic acid, scarification, etc.
- Plant two garden plots,1) a group of Texas native plants and 2)a group of non-native plants.
- Conduct an insect survey. Compare the number and diversity of insects between the plots.
- How do the two plots change by season?
- Research, design, and plant a Texas native plant garden for pollinators.
- What native plants serve as butterfly and moth host plants?
- Observe pollinators, eggs and larva and which plants they are attracted to.
- Research and design a Texas native plant garden for birds.
- What native plants feed birds?
- Survey birds that visit your garden and which plants they are attracted to.
- Research, design, and plant a Texas native garden for wildlife.
- What native plants feed wildlife? What are the components of a wildlife habitat?
- Observe the animals that come to your garden and keep track of what plants they are attracted to.
- Research, design, and plant a water garden with Texas native plants.
- Research and plan an experiment that shows how and why water gardens are effective.
- Find a spot where a native garden could help stop erosion.
- Research and design a garden for that purpose. Plant the garden and find a way to measure its success.
Research Presentation Guidelines
Your research presentation must be submitted to native-plants-in-schools@npsot.org by March 31, 2025.
Keep it original. All submissions must be participants’ original work. Any entries found not to be original will be disqualified from the contest.
Research Presentation Format:
- Slide Creation: The presentation can be created with Google Slides, PowerPoint, Canva, or similar tool.
- Cover Page: Include a cover page with title, name of sponsor and participating students, and school logo.
- Organization: Organize information in a clear and logical way.
- Visual Appearance: Get creative with the content! You can include photos, graphs, videos, testimonials, artwork, etc.
- Spelling and Grammar: Give your presentation a good proofread before submitting it.
- Works Cited: Provide a list of sources used for your research project.
- Total Slides: The presentation should be no more than 25 slides.
Research Project Information:
- Research Hypothesis: State a clear research topic and hypothesis for your project. The research topic must be related to Texas native plants.
- Experiment Plan: Outline the steps you followed to conduct your experiment.
- Experiment Execution: Demonstrate how your project was completed according to plan.
- Data Analysis: Show the data you used to inform your research project.
- Conclusion: Clearly summarize the outcomes of your research experiment and what you learned.
We’re Here to Help!
We hope you will join us for our first ever Force of Nature competition. We are here to support you and answer any questions you have along the way. Email native-plants-in-schools@npsot.org and we will get back to you ASAP.
