Little Brown Seeds

By Anon

Little brown seeds so small and round,[clench both fists tightly]

Are sleeping quietly underground.

Down come the raindrops[wiggle fingers and move hands up and down]Sprinkle, Sprinkle, Sprinkle!

Out comes a rainbow,[repeatedly flick fingers and thumb]Twinkle, Twinkle, Twinkle!

Little brown seeds way down below,[slowly reach arms up high]Up through the earth they Grow, Grow, Grow!

Little green leaves come one by one. [make a large circle with both arms]

They hold up their heads and look at the sun.

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.resources_plants_R003LL1

Places plants grow

Garden

Pots

Allotment

Greenhouse

Polytunnel

Window box

The seeds we eat

Name

What does it look like?

What does it smell like?

What does it taste like?

How does it feel?

· Provide a range of fruit for the children to taste that contain seeds that are edible, e.g. kiwi, grapes, pomegranate, banana, cucumber, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry.

OR

· Provide a range of edible seeds, e.g. pumpkin, quinoa, flax, sunflower, sesame, poppy, wild rice.

BE AWARE OF FOOD ALLERGIES!

Lifecycle of a seed

Enlarge and cut out each picture.

Sequence them to show the lifecycle of a seed.

Discuss what is happening at each stage.

How to plant a seed

· Enlarge to A3.

· Cut out each sentence.

· Display them randomly.

· Read each sentence aloud.

· Sequence them correctly.

First, take a small plant pot and fill it with compost.

Then, chose a seed and gently push it into the compost.

Next, cover the seed with a little more compost.

After that, water the compost.

Finally, put the pot on a sunny windowsill.

Reading Strategies

When you meet a word you don’t know,use these strategies to help you read it!

Sound out the word

First strategy to use!

Break words into syllables

e.g. cat-er-pill-ar

Look for smaller words within words,

e.g. c-at

Skip the word and read the rest of the sentence to try and work out what it says.

Did the sentence you read make sense?

Use the pictures.

Remember the text.

Sequencing words: How to plant a bean seed

· Cut out each word.

· Display them vertically: begin with First and end with Finally.

· Orally build instructions to plant a bean seed.

· Write each sentence correctly.

First

Next

Then

After

Later

Finally

How to plant a bean seed

· Look at each picture.

· Think carefully about how to plant a bean seed.

· Finish each sentence.

Writing frame A

First

Next

Then

Finally

How to plant a bean seed

Writing frame B

· Read each sequencing word.

· Write instructions to explain how to plant a bean seed.

· List the equipment you will need.

You will need:

Writing frame C

How to plant a bean seed

First

Next

Then

After

Finally

Garden centre role play Teacher notes

A garden role-play will allow children to use and rehearse the vocabulary associated with the sowing and growing of seeds and the care of plants.The children should be encouraged to use a range of terminology to explore the lifecycle of a seed and to identify the equipment needed to be gardeners.

Resources:

plant pots, labels, pencil, seeds and seed packets, trays, watering can, wheelbarrow, compost, trowel, spade, rack, fork, broom, shearers, hose, hoe, string, bird seeds, bird feeders, slips of paper to make lists, bamboo sticks, scissors, mature plants, e.g. edible herbs.

Roles:

Garden Centre Manager, Garden Centre Assistant, Cashier, Customer, Gardener, Supplier

Activities:

· Take telephone messages.

· Give advice about how to sow seeds and care for plants.

· List: the stock, what needs to be reordered or the orders customers place.

· Write price labels.

· Buy and sell stock – calculate money.

· Move stock in wheelbarrows and make attractive displays.

· Plant seeds and write a label to identify them.

· Water seeds and plants.

· Remove weeds and dispose of unwanted plants.

· Prune plants.

· Tie growing seeds to bamboo sticks.

· Identify different plants.

· Count: seeds, leaves, plants, customers, money.

Small World Farm Teacher notes

Language

lifecycle, seed, root, shoot, stem, leaf, flower, plant, grow, change, develop, soil, compost, harvest, transport, store, farm, machine, tractor, trailer, barn, silo, plough, combine harvester, field, track, hedge, animal.

Suggestions for making a Farm Setting

1. Find a large tray or Tuff spot.

2. Line the tray with green fabric.

3. Make fields by adding textures to different sections e.g. sand = corn, moss = grass, compost = soil. Use bark or sticks to separate fields.

4. Add farm buildings randomly, e.g. barn, silo, farmhouse, animal shed.

5. Place small world people and farm animals to different sections.

6. Provide farm machines to work on the farm.

Things to collect

Tray/Tuff spot, sticks, round pieces of wood, circular piece of blue fabric, green fabric, textures: compost, moss, bark chippings, sand, tractor, trailer, combine harvester, barn, silo, small world animals, e.g. cows, sheep, chickens, pigs etc.

Farm Small World Setting

A farm small world setting will allow children to explore each stage in the lifecycle of a plant. Children will rehearse and consolidate the language associated with sowing, growing and harvesting plants. They will also enjoy exploring which animals on the farm eat plants. The children will retell the story of The Tiny Seed and invent their own exciting narratives involving plants, farm animals, farm machinery and people.

Activities

· Plough the soil and sow seeds.

· Harvest crops and transport them to storage areas.

· Feed animals, e.g. chicken = corn or cows = grass.

· Care for growing plants, i.e. remove weeds, water, fertilise.

· Retell the story of The Tiny Seed.

· Invent new narratives, including animals, people and machines!

How to make a scarecrow Teacher notes

1. Print the scarecrow outline onto thick white or pastel coloured card.

2. Cut out the scarecrow.

3. Decorate the scarecrow. Use felt tips, wax crayons or oil pastels to decorate the image. Add detail with scraps of coloured or shiny paper, fabric or straw.

4. Laminate and attach a small garden stick to the back of the scarecrow. Place it inside the plant pot.

5. Make sure the seed isn’t eaten by birds!

Ideas:

· Photograph the children’s faces. Cut them out and add them to the scarecrow.

· Decorate the scarecrow with the school uniform or the kit from a favourite sports team or social group.

· Theme the scarecrows: superheroes, teachers, celebrities, emergency services.

Salt-dough Sunflower Teacher notes

Salt-dough is an easy material for children to manipulate and allows them to quicklymake effective sculptures. Display them in a sunny spot!

You will need:

· 1 cup of salt

· 2 cups of plain flour

· ¾ cup of water

· ¼ cup of white PVA glue

What you do:

1. In a large bowl, mix salt and flour together.

2. Gradually stir in water and PVA glue. Mix well until it forms a doughy consistency.

3. Turn the dough onto the bench and knead with your hands until smooth and combined.

4. Make your sunflowers.

5. Place the salt dough creations into the oven at 180C. Alternatively place on a sunny windowsill or warm radiator and allow to dry.

N.B. The time it takes for sunflowers to dry will depend on the thickness of the salt-dough, but it will usually be ready after two days.

6. When the sunflower is dry, paint it using acrylic paint.

Safety Tips

· Ensure children wear an apron with long sleeves when painting – acrylic paint is very difficult to remove!

· Ensure children do not taste the salt-dough.

Ideas

· Make a large circle of salt-dough. Children make two handprints to represent the petals of the sunflower. When it is dry they paint the indentations of their fingers yellow, the center black and the background a bright colour.

· Thread ribbon through an old CD and place salt-dough petals on the CD. Allow them to dry on a radiator or sunny windowsill. When they are dry and decorated hang them in a window frame.

· Turn the sunflower into a bowl. Use the center of the sunflower as the base and then curve the petals upwards to make the sides of the bowl.

· Make a circle of salt-dough. Use blunt knives to score into the salt-dough and mark out a pattern of petals.

Germination Investigation Teacher notes

What do I want to discover?

What is the right temperature for a seed to germinate?

What do I want to discover?

What is the right amount of water for a seed to germinate?

What do I want to discover?

What is the best medium for a seed to germinate?

What will I change?

The temperature of the seed over a period of time, e.g. place one in the freezer, one in the fridge, one on a hot radiator. N.B. Use a thermometer to measure the temperature.

What will I change?

The amount of water given to each pot each day over a period of time. Use a measuring jug to measure the amount, e.g. 0ml, 25ml, 50ml, 100ml, 150ml.

What will I change?

The growing media for the seed, e.g. compost, sand, cotton wool, gravel.

What will I keep the same?

The type of seed, the size of the pot, the type of compost used, the amount of water given to each pot.

What will I keep the same?

The type of seed, the size of the pot, the type of compost used, the temperature.

What will I keep the same?

The type of seed, the size of the pot, the temperature, the amount of water given to each pot each day.

What will I measure?

The length of the shoot after a specific time, e.g. 7 days.

What will I measure?

The length of the shoot after a specific time, e.g. 7 days.

What will I measure?

The length of the shoot after a specific time, e.g. 7 days.

Children will enjoy investigating the conditions required for seeds to germinate. Below are three different investigations that explore the temperature, growing medium and amount of water that seeds need. Help children make regular observations of the seeds. Discuss the patterns they discover, questions they want to answer and identify anything that puzzles them!

© Original plan copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.resources_plants_R003LL1