Fun Hands-On Spring Science: Planting Seeds

Planting Seeds in Soil

Planting seeds in potting soil is a great activity to conduct outdoors. If a little bit of dirt spills, it’s easy to sweep it into the grassy area. Plus, some activities are too much fun to conduct indoors. The excitement of the project needs space for louder voices and movement! We start the project by reading a book or two about planting seeds, and we move on to discussing how to plant a seed with the help of my How to Plant a Seed prompt cards.

For planting with soil, I picked up a few dish tubs, spray bottles (for water), and clear plastic cups at the dollar store. Having multiple tubs of soil keeps students from feeling too crowded, which prevents additional squabbles. Viewing through a teacher lens, allowing students to spread out a bit makes the entire project feel more manageable. We set up the soil tubs on one end of the sidewalk and have students move down the “assembly line” for seeds and water spray bottles.

Prepping to Plant Seeds

A couple of weeks in advance, I purchased curled cress seeds from Amazon. I like this particular kind of seed because the seeds grow FAST! Within a day or so, we can already see roots developing through the sides of the clear plastic cups. It’s helpful to have name labels pre-printed for students. If labels are not an option, having a classroom volunteer around to help write names on student’s cups with a Sharpie is helpful.

This type of seed is somewhat granular and only requires a light sprinkle per cup. The one pound bag covers two classrooms for at least two school years. I am pretty sure the last bag I purchased took me through three years, and that was with sharing the project with one of my neighboring teachers.

We start off our plant observation journaling session by writing and drawing about our adventures planting the cress seeds. Each afternoon, we document any growth and changes we see. Check out those roots!

Students illustrate their observations and write about what they see or notice. A few writing samples can be seen below.

Planting Seeds in a Greenhouse

Planting in a greenhouse is the second way we grow seeds during our spring plant science unit. The project itself is sooooooooooo flipping cute! However, it is also very effective, and it draws high levels of engagement. Here are our greenhouse seeds hanging in my classroom window.

The project is simple and, for the most part, clean. Each student will need a copy of the greenhouse, a zip seal sandwich (or quart size) bag, two to four cotton balls, and a little bit of water to dampen the cotton balls, and three or four large seeds. I choose to plan pumpkin seeds with my students. It’s a great way to circle back to a few of my favorite fall books that focus on the life cycle of pumpkins. We re-read Pumpkin Jack, It’s Pumpkin Time, and Pumpkin Circle. We discuss how some plants, like pumpkins, need to be planted in the spring so they are ready to harvest in the fall. We decorate clay pots and transfer the seeds into the pots to send home with students. This gives each student, even those without yard space to grow a plant, a way to grow one at home.

💡Teacher Tip: Be sure to plant a couple of extra greenhouses and cress seed cups JUST in case one of your students has a batch of seeds that does not sprout or one of the cups gets knocked over.

Seed Planting Resources for Your Classroom

Over the years, I have created numerous resources to support my teaching teams with seed science activities, and I am happy to share them with you, too! When creating these resources, the goal was to combine a high level of student engagement with writing. These resources help make that magic happen! Check them out below.