Farmers grow the food we eat. You can be a little farmer too! Let us grow a plant from a seed – maybe corn, bodi, pigeon peas or pumpkin.
What you need
- a pot or a cut-off plastic bottle with holes in the bottom
- potting mix: soil mixed with compost (and a little sand so water drains)
- seeds (corn, bodi, beans or pigeon peas grow fast)
- water and a sunny spot
The steps
- 🪴 Fill the pot with potting mix.
- 🫘 Plant the seed about as deep as your finger’s first joint, and cover it.
- 💧 Water it gently.
- ☀️ Put it in a sunny, sheltered place.
- 🌱 Wait and watch it sprout! Keep the soil damp, not soaking.
Working as a team
- Take turns: one person fills, one plants, one waters.
- Share the tools and put them back.
- Wear gloves, and wash your hands after touching soil.
- Never put soil, seeds or plants in your mouth.
- Make a watering roster so the plant is never forgotten.
TRY ITLittle farmer
Choose a game.
Let’s practise
Try each one. Then tap Show answer to check.
1. Put in order: water it, plant the seed, fill the pot.
Show answer
Fill the pot, plant the seed, water it.
2. What is potting mix?
Show answer
Soil mixed with compost (and a little sand).
3. Name two things a seed needs to grow.
Show answer
Water, warmth, air and good soil (and sunlight once it sprouts).
4. Give one way to work safely with soil.
Show answer
Wear gloves, wash your hands, do not put soil in your mouth.
5. Give one way to be a good team-mate.
Show answer
Take turns, share tools, listen to ideas.
Quick check
1. How deep should you plant a small seed?
Show answer
About as deep as the first joint of your finger.
2. How can you tell if a plant needs water?
Show answer
Touch the soil. If it is dry, water it.
3. Name a seed that grows quickly.
Show answer
For example corn, bodi, beans or pigeon peas.
Words to know
Say these words with a grown-up. Can you use each one in a sentence?
seed · potting mix · compost · plant · water · sprout · team · roster
Try it at home
- Plant a seed at home in a recycled bottle. Look after it for two weeks.
- Make a watering roster with your family.
- Draw the 5 planting steps as a comic strip.
For parents and teachers
After this lesson, your child should be able to:
- sequence the main steps in growing a plant
- grow a plant from a seed in a suitable potting mix
- work safely and co-operatively in a team
This post pairs well with the Science seedling-growth lesson: plant here, measure there.
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Attributions to media used in this post:
Pinto Bean Plant Growth.jpg – Datadoggieein – CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
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