How Do Plants Grow?

Facilitator prep:

Facilitators will need to grow a radish plant prior to this activity to create a control plant. While this plant is growing, facilitators need to measure how much and how often the plant receives water, how many hours of sunlight the plant receives, the air temperature each day and the type of soil the plant receives. Students will use this data to test and compare plants they grow.

A plant is a living system. Just like animals, plants have basic needs in order to survive. A plant’s basic needs are: sunlight, air, water, nutrients, and space in the amount suitable to that plant.

Animals get their energy from the food they consume. Green plants get their energy from the sun. The process is called photosynthesis. Sunlight activates the chlorophyll in leaves to convert raw materials from soil and air into carbohydrates (starches and sugars), which are the plant’s food.

Just like animals, water is important to plants because it is a primary component of the material that makes up the plant’s structure. Just like in animals, water is what helps give cells their shape. Water also helps transport nutrients from the soil to the plant’s roots.

Plants need a growing medium (such as soil) for support and to provide nutrients (raw materials to make food). Most plants need soil. The type of soil necessary to sustain a plant depends on characteristics such as: texture (compact or porous), water-holding capacity, acidity, and population of beneficial soil organisms.

Plants also need space to grow. If they do not have enough space and if they must compete with neighboring plants for nutrients, light and water, plants may find it difficult to grow or survive.

Literacy Connection:  Great books to get youth support learning about plant life cycles!  (available on Amazon).

• The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow by Joanna Cole

• Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert

• Because of An Acorn by Adam Schaefer and Lola M Schaefer

• From Seed to Plant by Allan Fowler

• The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

Materials

• Seed starter pots – a variety of sizes. Check with your local green house to see if they have any starter pots that you can use.

• Radish seeds

• Magnifying glasses

• Paper towels

• Spray bottles

• Measuring cups or scoops

• Access to regular sunlight

• Access to water

• Potting soil

• Sand

• Thermometer

• Measuring tape or ruler

• Permanent marker

• Shelf to store growing plants on

• Plant observation worksheets

Room:  Day 1 of this activity can take place indoors or outdoors. If indoors, youth will need tables to work on or trays to contain messes if working on the floor. Having a substrate table with bags or buckets of growing medium will be helpful so children can help themselves. 

There will need to be a pre-determined location for plants to be stored throughout the month that is easily accessible so students can make observations each day.

Content:  A plant is a living system. Just like animals, plants have basic needs in order to survive. A plant’s basic needs are: sunlight, air, water, nutrients, and space in the amount suitable to that plant.

Animals get their energy from the food they consume. Green plants get their energy from the sun. The process is called photosynthesis.

Water is what helps give plant cells their shape. Water also helps transport nutrients from the soil to the plant’s roots.

Plants need a growing medium for support and to provide nutrients. Most plants need soil. The type of soil necessary to sustain a plant depends on characteristics such as: texture (compact or porous), water-holding capacity, acidity, and population of beneficial soil organisms.

Plants also need space to grow. If they do not have enough space and if they must compete with neighboring plants for nutrients, light and water, plants may find it difficult to grow or survive.

Inquiry: Your primary goal as facilitator is to encourage youth to explore and observe the life cycle of plants.  You can prompt those discussions with questions like the following:

• What variable are you changing?

• How do you think this will affect your plant?

• Do you think it will grow better or worse?

Facilitator Checklist for Preparation:

• Organization: I practiced the activity/technology, prepared materials/extras/place to record youth ideas, completed an activity (including timings).

• Materials:  Materials are appropriate for teaching the learning goals; youth will be able to use them and will think they are appealing.

• Space Utilization:  The space is set up appropriately for the activity and there will be no safety issues or distractions.

• Relevance:  I have researched why the content matters to youth’s everyday lives.

• Content Learning:  I have become familiar with the content.

• Inquiry:  I have become familiar with how authentic, age-appropriate inquiry practices look in this activity.