Science - Seeds to Plant

You will need:

• Dishpans or water table half-filled with potting soil
• Variety of quickly sprouting seeds, such as radishes, alfalfa, or corn
• Fresh potting soil
• Scoops, spoons, and small trowels
• Paper
• Extra seeds
• Crayons

What to do:

• At the water table or dishpans, have the children mix seeds with soil. Keep the soil moist while observing over the next few days.
• When the seeds begin to sprout (within a few days), have the children look for similarities and differences in the emerging sprouts, putting each different kind in a small pot. Help the children observe what happens as the sprouts grow.
• Have the children create books in which they record their observations. Encourage them to glue an extra seed from each plant in their books, then draw that plant as it grows.

Open-ended Questions:

• The Little Red Hen had to be very patient in waiting for the wheat to grow. How can we be patient in waiting for our plants to grow?
• What happened to the seeds?
• Why do plants need water?

Variations/Extensions:

• Graph the growth of the plants on chart paper.

Related Resources:

• From the Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
• How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan
• One Bean by Anne Rockwell
• The Reasons for Flowers by Ruth Heller

Suggested Benchmarks:

• Collecting, describing, and recording information.
• Investigating and categorizing living things in the environment.
• Describing and comparing basic needs of living things.