Kids’ Science in the Garden

You probably know from the title of this blog that I believe fun and learning go hand-in-hand. There is so much fun and learning to be done though gardening with kids. It’s naturally engaging, and kids can learn such a wide variety of skills. Here you’ll find some of my favorite plants to grow from seed with kids and some amazing extension activities to really dive into learning inspired by your garden.

FIND EVEN MORE GARDEN ACTIVITY IDEAS IN OUR PRINTABLE GARDEN THEME LESSON PLANS

Great Plants to Grow with Kids

Of course you can grow anything with kids. I like to treat all new seeds like a science experiment.

We discuss from the beginning that not all of our plants will grow well and that there are different amounts of sun and water that different seeds need to grow best.

I like to let kids pick the kinds of seeds we plant when possible. For older kids you can have them look at seed packets to help decide based on how long it takes for the plants to grow, when the best time to plant is and more. For younger kids I prefer to narrow it down to a few options that I know will work based on the factors mentioned above and then let kids decide from there.

The younger the kids the faster I want the plant to grow so we can maintain interest. These are my top 5 choices for easy, fast growing plants to start with kids:

1. Radishes (fast and small, so you can grow them in any small space!)
2. Peas (fast and fun to eat, but you’ll need a vertical space for them to climb)
3. Sunflowers
4. Cherry Tomatoes
5. Lettuce

If your kids are really interested in the process of gardening you might consider learning more specifically about seeds as you begin to plan and prepare your gardening activities.

Once you’re ready to plant your seeds use a notebook or seed tracking sheet to measure your plant’s growth over time. The free printable option below is great to add to a science journal or gardening notebook.

Kids’ Science in the Garden

Learn how to set up and use the garden to explore all five senses.

Dissect a bean seed and record your findings with this science activity and free printable from Buggy and Buddy.

Start a Garden in a Glove like The Full Circle Gardener. Record how many days each seed takes to sprout and compare the sprouts to one another.

Observe root growth and changes over time with this indoor root vegetable garden from What Do We Do All Day?

Learn about stems and how they work by studying celery and creating a model of a plant like this one from Learning and Growing the Piwi Way.

Use these suggestions from Mom Trusted to make predictions and record how long it takes for onions to grow from leftover bulbs.

Start now with this experiment from Life with Moore Babies to see if you can grow your own pumpkins in a pumpkin before fall.

Observe plant growth with bulbs and a free printable from Buggy and Buddy.

Get your kids in the garden with these Garden Science Soil Experiments.

This Rainboot Sprout Garden is a great way to teach your kids about plants and seeds.

Get your kids in the garden to learn all about worms and compost with this Garden Science: Worms and Compost activity.

This Starting Seeds with Kids activity is perfect for kids who are ready to start gardening.

What other ways do you incorporate science into your gardening activities with kids?

If you’re hoping to find a little more inspiration, you might be interested in 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.

MORE GARDEN THEME FUN WITH PRINTABLE LESSON PLANS

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.

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Also available on Teachers Pay Teachers