April showers bring May flowers! Unless you live in the depths of the Midwest – in which you need to get ahead with the planting indoors. The Mini Sprout Study Set lets you and your students learn about planting, regardless of the weather outside. There are many activities and topics you can cover when teaching about plants, from growing experiments to new vocabulary, here are a few that I implemented this spring.
Dark vs Light Experiment
This year we did some experiments with different plants in different environments. First, we created a list of supplies that we knew we were going to need in order to plant our seeds. We talked about how we were going to need dirt, pots or cups to put them in, seeds and water. We also talked about when we were going to add our seeds to the cup – before the dirt or after the dirt? Why would it matter? These “critical” thinking questions helped kick off our excitement around plants, from things we already knew to things we were eager to find out more about through the process.
For our experiment, we used the same soil, watering method, and length of time to compare our findings using the Sprout Study. We grew Basil, Oregano, Parsley, and Marigolds. One of each plant was put in the Mini Sprout Study and then one was put in a dark environment. We made predictions and talked about what we think might happen with each set of plants. Students were able to confirm that plants do indeed need sunlight to grow!
Understanding Plant Vocabulary
We have also been learning new vocabulary around the plant life cycle such as parts of a plant, what plants need to grow, how long they take to grow and what temperature they need their environment in. Exposing children to more complex vocabulary while also giving them hands-on experiences to use their new learned vocabulary sets them up for a great learning experience. As our plants grow bigger we plan to use our Sprout Study to transplant them into bigger pots and then into large garden beds at our school. Our learning will not stop there as we will also send plants home with students to continue the growing process on their own as the warm spring weather comes!
Extend Their Learning
A lot of this learning can be revisited year round. During the summer months, we have planted fruits and vegetables. By the end of summer school, some fruits and vegetables ripen enough for children to then eat the “fruits of their labor”. This helps them better understand the planting process and importance of farmers, plants, and weather! If planting isn’t an option for you, talk to your students about the life cycle of plants, not just in their growing phase but what happens to them when they are done producing fruits and vegetables? What happens to plants when it snows? What animals rely on plants to survive? Who eats plants and flowers? These are just some of the guiding questions educators can ask students to extend learning beyond the classroom.
There are so many engaging learning opportunities when it comes to plants. And, the best part is, the Mini Sprout Study Set can be used during any season!
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