The Seeds & Plants Themed Activities were perfect for this time of year, Spring Time! The children loved learning about seeds and how they grow, plant parts and plants we eat, making seed mosaics, making and eating a flower out of an orange and planting and observing and recording the growth of a seeds.
Seeds & Plants Themed Activities
Creative Space
Play dough, stamps, scissors, lacing beads and cards, puzzles and blocks are set out for the children to choose from, and get creative during this 30 minute period.
Seeds & Plants Themed Circle Time
Every day during Circle Time we do the morning routine, which includes the Calendar and ‘Number, Color, Shape and Letter of the week’. We then read a story, sing a few songs and do a group activity.
On every Monday we change the ‘Classroom Helpers’ Classroom Jobs. Each child has a name card on a popsicle stick, and they get to choose their job of the week.
Seeds & Plants Themed Circle Time Activities
Activity 1: Weekend News
Every Monday morning each child gets a chance to talk about their weekend and what they did. The children then draw a picture in the ‘weekend news’ journal, and the teacher writes down what they have said.
Activity 2: Fruits & Veggies Bingo
Place all of the call-out cards in a bucket, hat or bag and mix them up. The caller should select a card without looking. Have players mark the square with a picture of the same fruit/ vegetable with a chip when they hear a word that appears on their card. Players shout “BINGO!” when they get a full line (vertical, horizontal or diagonal) or a full card.
Activity 3: Enzo the Bee: A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure
Spring time is here and the bees are out and about doing their thing. Go on a yoga adventure with Enzo the Bee as he pollinates the flowers.
Activity 4: Parts of a Flower
A great idea from preschoolplanit.com. Head over to their website for detailed instructions on this fun activity.
Activity 4: Which Flower Smells the best?
I found this awesome idea over at notimeforflashcards.com. Bring 2 different flowers to class and ask the children to smell these and to decide which flower smells the best. Everyone one write their names on post-it notes. Draw a pictograph on the whiteboard with the question ‘Which flower smells the best?’ and the two flowers’ names (for example ‘rose’ and ‘daisy’). Children stick their post-it notes underneath whichever flower they thought smelled better.
Seeds & Plants Themed Songs
Eighteen action songs and rhymes all about Plants & Seeds to get those bodies moving and grooving. Click on the image to head over to the post.
Seeds & Plants Themed Books
Twenty-four of the best story picture books that are perfect for a theme all about Plants & seeds. Click on the image below to read what these books are about.
Plants & Seeds Themed Literacy Activities
THE TINY SEED ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: Sequencing Activity
What you need:
- Sequencing Activity Sheets
- Scissors
- Glue
How to use this resource:
After listening to the story, the children color the pictures, cut it out and paste them in the correct order. When they are done, pair the kids up and ask them to re-tell the story to their partner while pointing to the pictures.
Activity 2: Plants are Cool Too! Flip-Book
Even though this flip-book do not have much to do with the Tiny Seed book, I added it. The topic of Plants can be tied in with the Tiny Seed and it can turn into a wonderful two weeks of learning.
What you need:
- Plants are cool too! printable book for each child (assembled beforehand as shown in the picture
- Coloring pencils
- Scissors
- Glue
- Vegetables (carrots, cabbage, beans, sweet potatoes etc.)
How to use this resource:
Page 1: What a plant needs
Ask the children what they think a plant needs to grow. Go for a walk outside and ask the kids to have a look at their surroundings. What do the plants and trees grow in? Look up to the sky. Do they think plants will grow without sunlight? Have they seen their parents water their plants at home? Why do they think the do that?
When you get back to the classroom, hand out the ‘Plants are Cool Too!’ booklets and let the kids color the ‘What a plant needs’ page.
Page 2: Parts of a Plant
Once again, go for a walk outside (this is the best topic for an excuse to spend as much time as possible outdoors in nature!). Let the children observe the plants and trees around them. Which parts can they see? Talk about the leaves, flowers, stems, trunks and all their functions.
Now ask them if they know how the plants can stay in one place, upright? Explain that the part of a plant that we can’t see is called the roots and plants need these to absorb food (nutrients) from the soil and to stay tight in one spot.
Once everyone gets back to the classroom, let the children complete the ‘Parts of a plant’ puzzle on page 3 of the ‘Plants are cool too!’ booklet.
Page 3: Plants We Eat
Prepare some raw cut-up vegetables beforehand. Ask the children if they know which part of a plant each of these are. Talk about all the different plants we can eat. Let the kids try each of the vegetables. Delicious right?
When everyone is done eating, hand out the ‘Plants are cool too!’ page and ask the kids to name the pictures and then to color it.
Page 4: Life-Cycle of a plant
The last page of the ‘Plants are cool too!’ booklet is all about the life-cycle of a plant. Talk to the kids about our own life-cycles. How we are born as babies, grow into toddlers, then children, then teenagers, then adults and finally elderly people. Ask the children whether they think plants have a life-cycle? Introduce them to the vocabulary of all the different stages of the life-cycle and then complete the last page of the booklet.
You have now completed the ‘Plants are cool too!’ booklet. On to the next activity!
Activity 3: The Tiny Seed Seasons Sequencing
Sequence the events as it happens in ‘The Tiny Seed’ by Eric Carle according to the seasons in this cut-and-paste activity. We watched the read-aloud on the screen and I paused it every time the story moved onto a new season.
Seeds & Plants Themed Math Activities
Center 1: Write it, Tally it, Make it
Children use a dice, write the amount down, tally the amount and then count out enough seeds and place them in the ten frames. Children grab some seeds, count it, write it, tally it and then place the seeds in the ten frames. For the second set, children can use two dice, or grab the seeds with two hands.
Center 2: seed Sorting
Laminate the sorting cards. Children grab a handful of seeds and sort these according to their texture and shape.
Center 3: Seed Counting
Laminate the sorting cards. Children grab a handful of seeds and sort these onto the counting mats. A black-and-white copy is included if you can find enough seeds to paste it next to each number. The children can then take these home.
Plants & Seeds Themed Art
I found this super cute Seed Mosaics over at 123homeschool4me.com. Click on the image to head over to their blog to have a look at some other fun seed activities.
Plants & Seeds Themed Science: Plant Observation Journal
We did not have enough time in class this week to start this activity, but we will start with it tomorrow. For the free Plant Observation Printable, click on the image above.
STEM: Exploding Seed Pods
I got the fantastic idea for this activity over at aroundthekampfire.com. Click on the image to head over to their post for full instructions.
Seeds & Plants Themed Snack Idea
I also found the idea for this healthy flower snack at primaryplayground.net. You will need oranges, celery/ cucumbers, leafy vegetables and sunflower seeds. Put these all together as seen in the picture, and enjoy!
Click on the images below to download the Plants & Seeds Themed Math & Literacy Centers, Printables and Activities.
