Let’s go on a seed hunt!

LESSON 3

Children go on a nature walk to find and collect seeds. 

Materials

Three children holding hands while holding baskets and walking on a wooded path.

  • Gather materials for the lesson

  • Find a location for a nature walk to collect seeds.

Preparations

  • Initiate the lesson by reading "It Starts With a Seed" by Laura Knowles.

  • Prompt children to connect their previous knowledge about seed growth from lesson 2 with the story's content.

  • Facilitate a joint observation of the story's illustrations, encouraging discussion about the tree's growth.

  • Organize a nature walk in a location rich with diverse trees, shrubs, and plants for seed collection.

Objectives for Teachers

  • Children listen to the story "It Starts With a Seed" by Laura Knowles.

  • Children recall and apply knowledge about seed growth from lesson 2.

  • Children observe and discuss changes in the tree's growth depicted in the story's illustrations.

  • Children participate in a nature walk to explore and collect seeds from trees, shrubs, and plants.

  • Children engage with the outdoors and enjoy the process of collecting seeds.

Objectives for Children

Collect and Connect

  • Play Simon says.

  • Practice singing the song “Five Tough and Tiny Seeds” By Steve Metzger Sang to the tune of “Five Little Speckled Frogs,” with the actions you came up with.

Five Tough and Tiny Seeds

Five tough and tiny seeds sat on a slender reed, 

Waiting for springtime winds to blow– Woosh! Woosh!

One landed on the ground, sniffed by a happy hound, 

Then there were four tough, tiny seeds. 

Four tough and tiny seeds sat on a slender reed, 

Waiting for springtime winds to blow– Woosh! Woosh!

One landed near a lake, beside a wriggly snake, 

Then there were three tough, tiny seeds. 

Three tough and tiny seeds sat on a slender reed, 

Waiting for springtime winds to blow– Woosh! Woosh!

One landed near a tree, buzzed by a bumblebee,

Then there were two tough, tiny seeds. 

Two tough and tiny seeds sat on a slender reed, 

Waiting for springtime winds to blow– Woosh! Woosh!

One landed by a road, next to a slimy toad,

Then there was one tough, tiny seed.

One tough and tiny seeds sat on a slender reed, 

Waiting for springtime winds to blow– Woosh! Woosh!

It landed on a rock, next to a watchful hawk,

Then there were no tough, tiny seeds. 

Five tough and tiny seeds, blown from a slender reed,

Raindrops are falling from the sky– Drip! Drop!

With bright and warmer days, now comes the month of May,

Now it’s the time for seeds to grow.

Five seeds begin to sprout, just as the sun comes out,

What will they all turn out to be?

Growing taller by the hour, each one a different flower, 

That’s what became of five tough, tiny seeds. 

Activity Flow

  1. Introduction: Begin this lesson by finding a comfortable place to read the story “It Starts With a Seed,” by Laura Knowles. While reading this story, activate prior knowledge gained in lesson 2 about how seeds grow. Observe the illustrations together and discuss how the tree changes as it grows. Who benefits from the tree? At the end of the story observe the illustrations of the different leaves and tree seeds. Tell your child that you will be going on a nature walk today to look for seeds! 

  2. Nature Walk and Seed Collection: Find a location with a variety of trees, shrubs, and plants. Collect seeds while you explore and enjoy this time out in nature with your child. You may choose to repeat this activity at a different location, as well as continue to collect seeds throughout this unit. We found ourselves adding new seeds almost daily, even from unexpected places like trees in parking lots!

A wooden container with seeds from nature organized in it.