Individual Student Activity Kit
Several activities and activity suggestions have been included to make the most of these materials. Please feel free to experiment, get creative and most of all, share what you are doing with us on the Little Green Thumbs Teachers Facebook Group, on social media by tagging @LittleGreenThumbs or write to us at info@littlegreenthumbs.org. We would love to share your work, your ideas and your students’ excitement.” use_overlay=”on” overlay_color=”rgba(224,102,65,0.41)” image_height=”369px” overlay_content_padding=”20px|65px|20px|65px|false|false” image_height_tablet=”538px” image_height_phone=”890px” image_height_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.4.1″ title_font=”Peachy Keen1|600|||||||” title_text_color=”#2b7d7d” title_font_size=”40px” title_letter_spacing=”1px” desc_text_color=”#000000″ background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)”][/dsm_blob_image]
Individual Materials included in the Activity Kit
- 25-30 Living Necklace supplies (25-30 cotton balls, yarn strings, compostable baggies)
- 25-30 Clear Compostable cups
- 25-30 4″ Nursery Pots
- 25-30 Jiffy Pellets
- 2 Bags pea seeds
- 30 Pole beans
- 30 Kidney beans
- Package of Parsley seeds (2021 – in past was basil)
- Package of lettuce seeds
- 25-30 Living Necklace supplies (25-30 cotton balls, yarn strings, compostable baggies)
- 25-30 Clear Compostable cups
- 25-30 4″ Nursery Pots
- 25-30 Jiffy Pellets
- 2 Bags pea seeds
- 30 Pole beans
- 30 Kidney beans
- Package of Parsley seeds (2021 – in past was basil)
- Package of lettuce seeds
Possible Explorations and Activities
Several activities and explorations have been suggested to make the most of your activity kit. These activities can be organized into 5 sections, based on the materials used.
Explore Seeds
- Dissect a bean seed
- Observe and track seed germination
Living Necklace
- Sprout a seed to wear
- Experiment: Investigate gravitropism (how plants sense gravity)
Root Viewer
- Measuring growth
- Experiment: Investigate gravitropism (how plants sense gravity)
- Harvest & Taste testing
Grow a Bean Plant
- Measure plant growth
- Experiment: Do plants breathe?
- Experiment: Plants cool the Earth (Transpiration)
- Experiment: Light Blocking
- Experiment: Create a plant maze
- Experiment: Plant needs Scientist
Grow Lettuce or Basil
- Make your own newspaper pot
- Observe and track growth
- Harvest and taste test
Grow a Bean Plant
- Measure plant growth
- Experiment: Do plants breathe?
- Experiment: Plants cool the Earth (Transpiration)
- Experiment: Light Blocking
- Experiment: Create a plant maze
- Experiment: Plant needs Scientist
Grow Lettuce or Basil
- Make your own newspaper pot
- Observe and track growth
- Harvest and taste test
Sequence of Activities
There are several options for activities laid out in this sequence. You can pick and choose which seem most appropriate for your classroom. Those activities that are BOLDED are those that all will utilize the supplies directly included in this activity kit. Additionally, we have provided several suggestions for activities that can be found on the Little Green Thumbs website, under Resources.
We have included all planting activities (Planting your Living Necklace, Planting your Bean Plant and Planting your Root Viewer) under the “Planting and Sprouting” section, though you may choose to spread these activities out over time, rather than planting all at once. Beside each experiment or activity is an indication which supplies can be utilized (ie. Living Necklace, Bean Plant, Root Viewer).
Week 1: Exploring Plants
- What we Know About Plants/Pre-assessment*
- Plants in the Neighbourhood*
- A life Without Plants
Week 1-2: Exploring Seeds
- Read Alex’s First Seed
- Seeds, Seeds Everywhere!*
- Dissect a Seed (Kidney beans)
Week 2-3: Planting & Sprouting
- Germination Test
- Seed Sprouting Theatre
- Planting Your Bean Plant
- Planting Your Root Viewers
- Planting Your Living Necklace
- Experiment: Observing Gravitopism (Living Necklace)
Week 3-10: Growing & Experimenting
- Measuring and Tracking of Plant Growth (Root Viewer and/or Bean Plant)*
- Experiment: Why do Plants Grow Up? / Investigate Gravitropism (Root Viewer)
- Experiment: Do Plants Breathe? (Bean Plant)
- Experiment: Create a Plant Maze (Bean Plant)
- Experiment: Plants Cool the Earth/Study Transpiration (Bean Plant)
- Making a Newspaper Cup for Lettuce or Basil Growing (Lettuce & Basil seeds)
More Student Handouts Available:
- Parts of a Plant (included)
- Label Parts of a Bean Seedling (included)
- Label the Parts of a Plant (Click Here)
- Plant Life-Cycle Sequencing Cards (included)
- Venn Diagram (Human vs Plant Needs) (included)
- Student Taste Testing (included)
- Tracking Plant Growth(included)
- Garden songs (included)
Activities + Explorations
Exploring Plants
Explore some plant fundamentals with your students before diving in! These are some of our favourite basic plant lessons:
What we Know About Plants / Pre-assessment
Use this short activity to identify for you and your students the ideas, concepts, interpretations and interests students already have about the growth and development of plants.
Plants in the Neighbourhood
Students will walk the neighbourhood looking for plants – in yards, vacant lots, cracks of sidewalks and windows of houses. The emphasis is on observation, description and notation about what students see.
A Life Without Plants
In this activity, students consider everyday items made from plants. Student handouts help students identify common items in their classroom or bedroom made from plants.
Exploring Seeds
Read Alex’s First Seed
Read your students the storybook about the adventures of Alex the worm, as they plant their very own first seed!
Seeds, Seeds Everywhere!
Students will examine a variety of edible fruits to see where their seeds are located and what they look like.
Dissect a Seed – Kidney beans
In this activity, students will dissect a seed and investigate the different parts. Soak the beans ahead of time for 24 hours to loosen the seed coat. Student hand-outs included.
Planting & Sprouting
Germination Test (Lesson Plan Included) – May use pea seeds included in kit
Germination tests are a quick and fun way to find out if your seeds are still viable to grow!
Students learn what a seed needs to germinate. Seed Sprouting Theatre (Lesson Plan Included)
A body break activity for students to act out the process of a seed sprouting.
Plant Your Root Viewers (Activity instructions included)
Time to plant your pea seeds into your Root Viewers! Have students draw a face or drawing on the labels provided for their cup. Provide 4-5 seeds or more for every student to plant. You may soak the seeds overnight to make germination quicker! Student planting instructions can be found online.
Planting Your Bean Plant (Activity instructions included)
Students will plant their bean seeds using peat pellets. Once the seed has sprouted and has 2-3 sets of leaves, you can then plant your peat pellet into the nursery pot using potting soil.
Plant Your Living Necklace (Activity instructions included)
Students will plant their own living necklace using pea seeds. Follow the instructions provided and have students predict what will happen to their seed and track the process. Once sprouted, you can experiment using the gravitropism activity below!
Experiment: Explore Gravitropism (Lesson Plan Included) – Living Necklace
Why do roots grow straight down? Can roots sense gravity? Do you think you can “trick” roots to grow in a different direction? Explore how roots can sense gravity to grow straight down. Adapt this lesson plan to use your living necklaces. Observe the growth of the sprout and roots when the bag is turned on its side. A great way to do this is to tape the bags to the window.
Growing & Experimenting
Experiment: Study Gravitropism – Root Viewer (Activity Instructions found Online) – Bean plant
This is a quick adaptation of our gravitropism activity using the Root Viewer. Students will place their cups on their sides and observe the effects.
Explore Transpiration (Lesson Plan Included) – Bean plant
Study how water travels through a plant and out its leaves! Connect a plant’s ability to transpire water to the plant’s important function cooling the planet.
Do plants breathe? (Lesson Plan Included) – Bean plant
Students observe the production of oxygen by a plant by submerging a leaf underwater and observing oxygen bubbles form. In part 2, students will conduct a small experiment to see if the amount of light a plant receives affects the production of oxygen by plants.
Light Blocking (Lesson Plan Included) – Bean plant
What happens when you block light from a plant? Cut various shapes in aluminum foil and attach them to the leaf of a plant using paper clips. What happens?
Build a Plant Light Maze (Lesson Plan Included) – Bean plant
An experiment to test if a plant can find the light through a box maze. You may create one maze for the class, have students work in groups or each student may create a maze. ** Note that plants will grow very long stems after this experiment and will not be suitable for other activities.
Plant Needs Experiment Scientist (Lesson Plan Online) – Bean plant
Carry out a plant growth experiment by isolating one need of a plant, such as light, air, water, nutrients or space. Students can design their own experiments in small groups, or a classroom experiment can be designed. ** Note: Please download the “Plant Needs” Lesson if you would like to introduce the idea of Plant Needs to your students first. This lesson includes an animated video and hand-out.