Activity Introduction

Quick summary: In this activity, children are asked to investigate plant life cycles in detail. All children are asked to plant some seeds for themselves, to water their seeds and watch their seeds grow into seedlings and then plants. Older children are asked to experiment with different ‘drinks’ for their seeds, testing what drinks seeds like best and which drink sees the healthiest seedlings.

This activity is designed to help connect children to the wonders of the natural world through sensory and play-based learning.

EYLF Learning Outcome

Elaborations

Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world

3. Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment

Outcome 4: Children are involved and confident learners

1. Children develop dispositions for learning such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity

2. Children develop a range of skills and processes such as problem solving, enquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating

3. Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another

4. Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials

 

Equipment needed:

  • All ages: Small growing tubs such as egg cartons or toilet rolls, seeds (e.g. sunflower, lettuce or radish), potting mix, spoons for digging soil, large tray to place tubs into so they can be moved around, water.
  • Ages – 2 to 3: One additional plant ‘drink’ such as milk, juice or cold tea.
  • Ages – 3 to 5: A range of additional plant ‘drinks’ such as milk, juice or cold tea.

Supporting resources:

Other resources:

Cool Australia Presents Biodiversity from Cool Australia on Vimeo.

 

The team at Cool Australia continually reviews and refines our Early Learning resources in line with expert advice and current educational practices.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Background information:

Plants come in all shapes and sizes, colours, textures and smells. However, they all start as a small seed. All that seeds need is some soil, some sunlight and some water, for example, see the life cycle of a bean factsheet.

While for some of us nature may seem removed or unfamiliar or even scary, growing seeds is a great way of bringing nature back into our lives, a way of experiencing nature even in the busiest of cities.

How to plant a seed:

  • Step 1. Fill a small tub with soil using a spoon to fill the tub almost to the top.
  • Step 2. Create a small hole with your finger about 2-3 cm deep. Place your seed inside, cover with soil and press the soil down lightly.
  • Step 3. Place your tub in or close to sunlight and water frequently.

Which seeds to plant? You could try some of the following:

  • Sunflowers - Sunflowers will sprout in 1 week, become a small seedling in 2 weeks, and should be 5cm tall in a month.
  • Lettuces - The seeds will germinate in
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