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All Book Chapters

Where Do Seeds Come From?

Book Chapter

Where Do Seeds Come From?

This activity is for observing seeds in fruits and vegetables. Show the children a small assortment of seeds and ask them what they think the seeds are and where they come from and then discuss their ideas. As a follow-up activity, provide children d...

Sorting Seeds

Book Chapter

Sorting Seeds

This activity is for observing and sorting seeds. Distribute an assortment of seeds to each child. Ask them to put together all the seeds that seem to be the same and encourage them to sort their seeds according to different properties or characteri...

How Are Seeds Alike?

Book Chapter

How Are Seeds Alike?

This activity involves sorting seeds by one attribute. Have sorting boxes ready for each child and distribute one set of seeds to each. Provide children with magnifiers and let them explore their seeds. After their initial exploration, call out a cha...

Soaking Seeds

Book Chapter

Soaking Seeds

This activity is about observing seeds while they absorb water, change size, and become soft. Give a lima bean seed and magnifier to each child and suggest putting it into water. Invite the children to look at their seeds several times during the day...

Seeds to Plants

Book Chapter

Seeds to Plants

This activity is about observing the inside of soaked lima bean seeds. Give each child two presoaked lima beans. Have them loosely wrap the seeds in a moist paper towel and place them on a plastic plate. Allow the children to carefully unwrap their ...

Terrariums

Book Chapter

Terrariums

This activity is about planting a terrarium. Have each child choose a container and a plant and then follow the planting procedure. Place the terrarium where it will get plenty of light and have the children observe and describe their plants regula...

An Ear of Corn

Book Chapter

An Ear of Corn

This activity is about exploring an ear of corn. Encourage children to describe how the cornhusks feel, smell, and look. After a few minutes encourage children to find out what is inside the cornhusks. Then cook the corn so they can taste it. A foll...

Popping Up Some Change

Book Chapter

Popping Up Some Change

This activity is for investigating how heat changes things. Hand out some unpopped popcorn kernels to the children for observation. Then make some popcorn! This is a science investigation that they can eat so allow children to describe how it tastes...

Seeds as Food

Book Chapter

Seeds as Food

This activity is for comparing and grinding fresh and dried corn. Let children handle the dried and fresh corncobs and talk about what they see and feel. Give children time to explore and then put all the dried kernels in one bowl to soak in water ov...

Seed Wreath

Book Chapter

Seed Wreath

This activity is for using a variety of seeds to make a collage or wreath. Have the children help you begin saving seeds from fruits and vegetables and also from the plants around the schoolyard. Observe which seeds children seem to be most intereste...

Pondering Pumpkins: The Outsides

Book Chapter

Pondering Pumpkins: The Outsides

This activity is for investigating the exterior of pumpkins. Select a few pumpkins of different sizes for small groups of children to observe and compare. Give the children time to look at and touch the pumpkins and then challenge them to figure out ...

Pondering Pumpkins: The Insides

Book Chapter

Pondering Pumpkins: The Insides

This activity is for investigating the insides of pumpkins. After finding out what children think the insides of pumpkins are like carefully cut the pumpkins in half horizontally around the middle. After their observation, ask the children to share w...

Nature Bracelets

Book Chapter

Nature Bracelets

This activity is about finding interesting objects in nature to make into a bracelet. Give children a bracelet by placing a piece of masking tape around the wrist, sticky side out. Then take a nature walk so they can make “nature bracelets” by pi...

Observing Weeds

Book Chapter

Observing Weeds

This activity is about looking for weeds when taking children on a walk. When back in the classroom, have them observe the weeds they pulled and put in their bags. Then have them tape all the weeds together on a big piece of paper to display with a h...

Animal Walk

Book Chapter

Animal Walk

This activity is about going for a walk to look for animals in the neighborhood. Encourage children to talk about how animals look, how they move, and what they eat and make a list on chart paper of all the animals they remember seeing. As a fun foll...

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