Seeds. What seemed like such a simple topic opened up so many teaching possibilities it was hard to know where to even begin! I realized after starting this that we could study seeds for a year and still have more to study. We tried our best to stick to a few topics, but my younger kids especially love tangents – something hard for me to turn down when they are showing an interest in learning!
Before you get started…
If you would like to incorporate any of these ideas into your daily lesson plans but you don’t already have a planner, there are several FREE resources that you can use:
- Joy at Five J’s Homeschool has a huge, all the bells-and-whistles planner on her website.
- A free Charlotte Mason planner can be downloaded from My Humble Kitchen.
- If you prefer to set it up like a unit study, Hi5 Homeschool has a free unit study planner.
Our Featured Book
Our focus book was A Seed is Sleepy – one of my favorites because the illustrations are beautiful! The publisher also provides a free teacher’s guide here.
After reading our featured book, we found some great activities (featured below) to extend the learning experience. We did NOT do everything on this list (although I think my kids would have been happy to do them all).
Language Arts
Discuss the adjectives used in A Seed is Sleepy. Look up the words in a thesaurus to find words with the same meaning. Interchange the new words in the story to see how they fit.
Read Seed Time and Harvest, a poem by Edith Nesbit; then use these tips to write your own seed-themed or nature-themed poem.
If you choose to do the scavenger hunt (listed under “Worksheets and Activities” below), use adjectives to describe the seeds in your collection.
Worksheets and Activities
Go on a seed scavenger hunt. A park or trail is a great place to do this. One fun method of seed collecting is to use the sock method. You can use the sock method and let your feet collect while you hunt with your eyes as well! If you plan to keep your seeds, you can sort them in an empty egg carton or ice cube tray.
Plant a garden in a glove (don’t forget to label each finger of the glove)!
Explore different types of seeds while being a seed detective; view a larger variety of seeds here.
Discover why seeds are needy.
Learn about seed travelers and some of the methods of seed travel.
For a more in-depth study about seed dispersal, check out this activity pack with a seed dispersal game or use this activity and worksheet to go on a nature hunt for seeds so you can observe and categorize them.
If you are teaching multiple ages, these are some fun activities for a wider age range, including building your own seed!
Print and complete a word search.
Peruse some seed catalogs online and look at the huge variety of seeds available: Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, and the Territorial Seed Company are some great options.
Bible and Character Tie-Ins
The Bible is rich with lessons about sowing seeds, but we kept our character and Bible lesson tie-ins simple by putting our focus on 2 Corinthians 9:6 – 15 (concentrating on verses 6 – 11; feel free to select a different Bible translation after following the link if you need one that helps your children better understand the verses). We chose the subject of being a cheerful giver because prior to this study our family had been discussing the subject of giving.
We first talked about things that come from seeds and read The Giving Tree . Then we created our own apple tree as a reminder of the importance of giving. I printed a bare tree and let them put a fingerprint leaf or apple for every way we could think of to give to others. We also plan to use these apple templates to write down ideas to bless others and “pick” a blessing out of a blessing basket. Besides the normal gifts of time, money or necessities, here are a few suggestions for gifts of encouragement to others:
Bring some cheer to a friend or family member – or anyone who could use some encouragement – with these hand-made plantable hearts.
If you don’t want to make plantable hearts, you can create hand-made seed packets with these polka-dot seed packet templates or these “Let Love Grow” floral-themed packet templates.
Attach whatever message of encouragement you desire with the above gifts and let the receiver know the growth from the seeds can be a reminder of your love and/or prayers for them.
Science
Make a “little seed house” using this activity (this is a great activity to go along with The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle as well).
Experiment with how a seed becomes a plant.
Learn about seed germination with an experiment.
Dissect a bean seed with this experiment.
Determine whether or not seeds need their coat.
Make a seed ball and then go here to learn how it works.
Observe the different stages of a growing seed with this printable.
Crafts
Create a pine cone bird feeder.
Make dish-brush dandelions (especially fun if you read The Dandelion Seed).
Design a seed-mosaic planter.
Older kids will have fun making this beautiful pine cone flower display and younger kids can participate with this version.
Math
For an early-math activity, you can play Apple Seed Math or play The Garden Game.
Plant a square-foot garden while putting math skills to good use! Be sure to check your zone and state to find out the best planting schedule (and tie in some geography, too)!
Art and Music
A Seed is Sleepy features watercolor illustrations. Learn to paint simple watercolor flowers using this video presentation, or for younger children use actual flowers to create simple watercolor flower prints.
Learn about famous artists who use watercolors as their medium. For further picture study, check out these beautiful watercolor paintings by a variety of artists!
If you read Jack and the Beanstalk (free here to read; free here to listen), follow up by listening to this music-only rendition of the story as you imagine the story taking place to the music.
Videos
Watch a video about the different types of seed dispersal.
Watch a time-lapse video of a seed growing into a sunflower.
Watch an acorn grow into an oak tree.
This is a longer video from Moody Science about a seed battling for survival.
Learn about the Svalbard Seed Vault (climate change/male seed/old earth are all briefly mentioned).
Watch the “Money Crop” episode from Little House on the Prairie, originally featured in Season 1.
Online Interactive Activities
Older students can learn about seeds with these online lessons from Study Jams.
Use “Gizmos” to conduct online seed germination experiments (this site offers 5 free minutes per lesson each day).
History
Explore the cover art of vintage seed catalogs.
Learn the history of the sunflower seed.
Read more about the war garden movement, promoted with the tagline “Sow the Seeds of Victory,” and then view the original movie used to promote Victory Gardens to see how seeds and gardening were promoted during World War 2. You can plant your own Victory Garden using this printable guide.
This online catalog from Victory Seed Company offers informative facts about different seeds, including the individual histories of many of the seeds offered for sale.
Read about the oldest seed ever germinated!
Recipes
Try some honey-roasted cinnamon sunflower seeds. These can be used in a homemade trail mix or as a dessert topping.
If you’re looking for a seedy recipe that’s savory, try this sunflower seed (nut free) pesto!
Let your children create their own recipe incorporating seeds or items with seeds! Or find a favorite recipe that includes seeds/items with seeds and use it as part of your gift giving. Select some free recipe cards if you need them! (We made smoothies – simple and my kids love them!)
Additional Seed-Themed Books
If you can’t find A Seed is Sleepy, or if you prefer to use a different book and/or want to expand on the material, here is a list of other great book options:
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds
A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds (View the video read-aloud of A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds)
The Tiny Seed (View the video read-aloud of The Tiny Seed)