Seeds of Knowledge

Seeds are everywhere!
Everyday, my girls and I encounter seeds.  Yes, we have planted them in our garden and have experienced the joy of watching them grow, Asters - Zucchini.  However, my 5 year old and my 2 year old were quick to point out every seed we came across during each meal of the day:  flax seeds, sesame seeds, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, orange, lemon, kiwi, cucumber, pepper, seeds...the list goes on and on!  So, we decided to collect the seeds we came across until we could fill an old egg carton.  (The girls were amazed to learn that pits, such as in nectarine, avocado, cherry, etc. were seeds as well.)

Once we collected the 12 seeds, we sorted them from biggest to smallest.  Then, the girls examined the seeds under magnifying glasses to better notice each seed's details.  Finally, the girls created a poster drawing each seed as they saw it in relation to the others.

This exercise got them focused on a subject and made them eager to learn more - they wanted to plant each seed to see what would happen next!  While we were collecting the seeds, they had to exercise some patience...it took us a few days to collect 12 seeds.  Also, it sharpened their observation skills; while eating a meal, they would search for seeds among their fruits and vegetables.  In addition, it served as a review for counting, sorting, and making comparisons and contrasts.  Finally, it gave my five year old a chance to act as teacher to my 2 year old!

There are so many other possibilities for learning with this activity.  The seeds could be sorted alphabetically, school aged children could write the name of each seed, and if the seeds are planted students/children could make observations as the seeds grow and sketch what they see on a "growth chart."  

Seeds are not the only option:  you could use rocks, seashells, flowers, bugs, buttons, etc. to accomplish the activity.  It doesn't matter what you use, or exactly how you do it, as long as some seeds of knowledge are getting planted and your young ones are excited about learning!

If you do choose to work with seeds, the following books are great extensions of the topic:

How Groundhog's Garden Grew, by Lynne Cherry

-Squirrel teaches groundhog how to grow and care for his garden through each of the seasons.

The Pea Blossom, by Amy Lowry Poole

-Five peas inside a blossom all what different things.  Follow each pea's unique journey.

Seed by Seed, by Esme Raji Codell

-This book highlights the importance of Johnny Appleseed.

For more book suggestions, check out this blog's "Suggested Reading" list.  

Enjoy learning! 

Plant the Seed!

Together, my family planted seeds for what we hope will be our luscious, productive, green garden. We had so much fun sitting around our kitchen table getting our hands dirty.  What better way to stay grounded than sticking your hands in some earth?!
With planting seeds, there are endless possibilities for learning.  From sorting to labeling to observing things grow the lessons abound.  Like seeds and plants, children grow better the more we nuture them.  Hopefully, some of the ideas/activities/lessons below will  help your children blossom!

Conversation Starters:
-Why are all the seeds different shapes/sizes/colors?
-Predict how long it will take each type of seed sown to grow into a plant.
-How long do you think it will take a plant to flower and then fruit?
-What's needed to help a plant grow?
-What could be detrimental to the growth of a plant?

Activities/Lessons:
-(For the wee ones)  Sort seeds by shape/size/type and count how many of each.
-Guess what each seed will grow into.
-Act like a growing seed:  Starting curled on the ground, using your body show me how a plant grows.
-Keep a photo journal:  Take a photo of seed before planting, once planted, and through each stage of growth.
-Tell the story of a seed: Make a homemade book illustrating the stages of growth.
-If preparing a garden:  Count rocks removed from the soil.  List insects seen.  Measure the width and length of garden.  We measuered the length and width of our garden below with our daughters.

-Once garden fruits:  Count what's collected.  Examine what grew successfully and what did not and hypothesize why.
-If not able to prepare an outdoor garden:  Create a window garden.  You can use an old egg carton, old boot, old soup can, or just about any container to grow something on your window sill.  Below, you can see some of our tomato seeds planted in an old egg carton are growing.

-Plant a seed in a glass jar so child can observe roots growing as well as plant.
-Child can learn months and make observations if charting how seeds/plants grow.  Check out our "GROW WATCH" chart below.

-If not already composting, start!  Children can watch things decompose and be used again to help the garden grow.   My daughters enjoy taking turns spinning our compost barrel shown below.

-BEST OF ALL:  Children can take part in and witness the cycle of life!

Useful and Enjoyable  Garden Literature:

Plant Secrets, by Emily Goodman
Good for any school-age child, this book illustrates the stages of growth:  first seed, then plant, then flower, then fruit.  A wide variety of differnt plants are discussed.

Eddie's Garden and How to Make Things Grow, by Sarah Garland
Another great book for school-aged children, this book follows "Eddie" as he prepares his garden, plants seeds, nurtures them, watches them grow, and eventually enjoys the fruits of his labor.  In addition, there is a planting guide with useful tips in the back of the book.

A Green, Green Garden, by Mercer Mayer
Emergent readers will enjoy this story as they follow "Little Critter" as he learns that planting a garden is a lot of fun and a lot of work.  He also learns that as a result of all of his hard work, there's something for him to enjoy: a green, green garden!

REMINDER:  Earth Day is April 20th and Arbor Day is April 27th.  Do your part and help the planet; if you can't plant a tree on Arbor Day then plant a seed!

For Earth Day, check out these books for little ones:

I Can Save The Earth!  One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, by Allison Inches

The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore), by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Grover's 10 Ways to Help Our Wonderful World, by Anna Ross

How to Help the Earth - by the Lorax, by Tish Rabe

It's Earth Day!, by Mercer Mayer


For Arbor Day, check out these books for kids:

We Planted a Tree, by Diane Muldrow

Trees, by Lisa Jane Gillespie

You can visit websites to find out more about trees:  go to the Usborne Quicklinks Website at http://www.usborne-quicklinks.com/ then type the keywords "beginners trees".


Besides the books mentioned above, many more for you to explore can be found by checking out what we've got listed under "Suggested Reading" .


In the words of the great Eric Clapton, "Let it blossom, let it grow..."!