- children’s seeds and bulb plants
- grown plant
- science notebooks
- grow
- leaves
- plant
- root
- sprout
- stem
MA Standards:
English Language Arts/Speaking and Listening/SL.PK.MA.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners during daily routines and play.
English Language Arts/Writing/W.PK.MA.2: Use a combination of dictating and drawing to explain information about a topic.
MA Draft Standards:
Life Sciences/From Molecules to Organisms: Inheritance and Variation of Traits/LS1:/3.D Recognize stages of the life cycle of plants and animals they have observed and discuss ideas about what happens at each stage. [Patterns, Change]
Life Sciences/From Molecules to Organisms: Inheritance and Variation of Traits/LS1/3.A: Describe/draw and compare the body parts of animals (including themselves) and plants they are investigating [System] and explain functions of some of the observable body parts. [Structure and Function]
Head Start Outcomes:
Science Knowledge/Conceptual Knowledge of Natural and Physical Worlds: Observes, describes, and discusses living things and natural processes.
Science Knowledge/Scientific Skills and Method: Collects, describes, and records information through discussions, drawings, maps, and charts.
Logic and Reasoning/ Reasoning and Problem Solving: Uses past knowledge to build new knowledge.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Language 2: Participate actively in discussions, listen to the ideas of others, and ask and answer relevant questions.
Science and Technology/Life Sciences 10: Observe and identify the characteristics and needs of living things: humans, animals, and plants.
EEC Infant and Toddler Guidelines:
PW44.: The older toddler participates in physical care routines.
Explore Together (indoors): How Did It Grow?
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
STEM Key Concepts: There are many different types of plants and seeds; Some plants start from seeds; Some plants start from bulbs; All plants are similar and different in some ways
ELA Focus Skills: Listening and Speaking, Vocabulary
Safety Tips:
- Remind children to wash their hands before and after the activity.
- Remind children not to eat ANY plants or touch any plants without asking an adult.
Tell children they are going to explore their plants. Have children observe, record, and discuss the changes in the seeds and bulbs they planted. Before children record the changes in their plants, review the different stages of plant growth. Gather children around the onion bulbs and seeds in dirt, the bulbs and seeds in plastic, and the plants in the dirt. Invite children to touch and name the parts (roots, stems, leaves, etc.) of each plant.
Have children explore and document the changes in their plants by taking photographs of the plants, making drawings of their plants, and/or writing in their science notebooks. Invite children to work together and to ask questions about one another’s observations. Encourage children to name parts of the plant, describe plant needs, and revisit their plant graphs to talk about their plant’s growth. Encourage them to add new measurements as they visit their graphs.
As children work, help them to notice the changes in their plants and how the plants are growing.
Reflect and Share
Gather children to talk about the changes they’ve observed in their seeds and plants. Have them compare and contrast the seeds, bulbs, and plants. Guide them to refer to the plant cycle as they’re discussing the changes. Ask questions such as,
- How do you know your grass seed is growing under the dirt? (sprout comes out of the dirt)
- What do you think would happen to your bean seed if you forgot to water it for a long time? Why do you think that?
- What do you think would happen if we planted the onion plant in the ground?
Take It Further: If time allows, you may want to take children outside to revisit some of the plants they explored during outdoor exploration time. Have children notice and compare changes in the outdoor plants and their indoor plants.