To begin our preschool S is for Seeds theme I wanted to let the kids explore different foods to look for seeds and make their own discoveries about foods with seeds, so we did this simple science investigation.
Find all of our seed activities in our printable lesson plans
for home preschool and preschool classrooms.
At first I started getting things out of the fridge on my own, but then I realized I was missing an opportunity for the kids to show me what they already know about foods with seeds. Instead I put everything back and placed a large basket on the floor. Then I called the kids over and asked, “Which foods have seeds?” I told them they could pick from the foods in the pantry and the fridge and show me which foods they think have seeds.
This was a great way to informally assess what they already know, and their conversations gave me a deeper understanding of their prior knowledge. They showed me that they already had a pretty good understanding of which foods had seeds. There were only a couple of times when one child would grab something that didn’t have seeds, and usually the other child would help clarify. I was pleasantly surprised at how they worked through their differences in opinions.
When they decided on their final items, I told them that we would be exploring the different foods throughout the week to learn more about which ones have seeds and compare the seeds. If I was in a classroom with more kids, we would have explored all of the foods in one day, but I wanted to be able to use all of the food throughout the week without it going to waste
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As the week progressed, we opened up 2 or 3 different foods throughout the day as we prepared snacks and meals. Each time the kids got very excited about cutting open the food and looking for seeds. When possible, we harvested the seeds and set them out to dry. We used many of them in other activities that I will be sharing about soon.
What ways have you helped your kids learn about the kinds of foods that have seeds?
Find more ideas on my Letter S Pinterest Board.
Another resource I am enjoying as we are working on our S is for Seeds theme and our other spring activities is our copy of The Garden Classroom. This new book is a terrific resource for learning to create your own garden classroom no matter the size of your gardening space or your skill level. In addition to great tips about gardening with kids, there are literacy, math, science, craft, and play ideas.
Get a full week of playful seed theme ideas!
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
This pack includes editable lesson plans and hands-on activities for a week full of math, reading, & science learning activities about seeds and the foods we eat that come from seeds. Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:
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Home Preschool Seed Theme Lesson Plans
Preschool Classroom Seed Theme Lesson Plans
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Kelly
This looks like such a great idea! My son is really into learning about fruits and vegetables (though not so much eating them), so I think he’ll love this.
Shaunna
I hope he has fun. This seemed like such a simple activity when I originally planned it, but I was really pleased with all of the learning and inquiry that stemmed from the investigation.
Ticia
A few years ago I had someone link up about seeds, and her daughter was wondering why bananas don’t have seeds. Apparently, we engineered them to no longer have seeds, and she found a picture of a banana with seeds in them. It was quite different on the inside, and looked rather yummy.
Shaunna
Bananas got a lot of conversation here, too. The information we found said that the “Cavendish” variety that we buy at the store doesn’t have seeds (probably because of the engineering you mentioned), but that there are over 1000 varieties of bananas and some still do have seeds. My daughter wants me to find one with seeds, so I’m betting that will come back up.
Seemi
Thanks for sharing! Investigating the fruits and vegetables we eat and looking at the seeds is a great activity for this age group.
Shaunna
I agree! The kids really enjoyed exploring the foods we eat. They talk about the different kinds of seeds often since this initial discovery.
Ann @ My Nearest and Dearest
My son would really love this! How easy it is just to add a simple science twist to snack time.
Shaunna
I bet he would, too! You could feel the suspense in the room each time we opened a new food to check for seeds. The kids really got into it. We’ve even continued the same type of exploration for our V is for Vegetables activities. (Yes, we are on V and I’m still blogging about S…so many fun ideas to share!)
Mary Catherine
What a great science exploration, Shauna! I like how you thought to let the kids show you what they already know about fruits and seeds. I’ve pinned this activity already! Thanks so much for sharing it with us. 🙂
Shaunna
Thanks! I don’t do “assessments” for the kids, but I do like to include a few ways to monitor what they are learning. Thanks for pinning!
Katie @ Gift of Curiosity
Such a simple activity, but perfect for the preschool age. My kids would love cutting into various foods to find the seeds. Pinning now!
Shaunna
Thanks! I almost didn’t post this because it is so simple. However, I think sometimes the simple activities give the most opportunity for learning and new discoveries…plus kids are fascinated by the simple things that we adults tend to overlook. 😉 Thanks for pinning!
Stephanie @ Twodaloo
This is such a simple and fun idea for learning about seeds! I love how you stretched out the inquiry over a week…I bet it built up some great anticipation for meals as well! Pinning and sharing today!
Shaunna
Thanks! I think we were able to develop the ideas a little more by spreading it out over the week. They could build on the prior knowledge and discoveries from each of the previous days. So simple, but so much learning taking place!