Plants and Me

Children discover that plants need to drink, that they grow and they feel.
Recommended Period for this Activity: Term 2/3 – couple of weeks to observe the growth of the sunflower

1. Do Plants Drink Water Like Us? 
Help children discover similarities between themselves and plants. Ask: 

“Do plants drink water like we do?” (Let children share their ideas). 

Show them how plants "drink" using a white carnation or celery stalk placed in a cup of coloured water (blue or red works best). Over the next day or two, the colour will travel up into the flower or stalk. 
Ask:  

“How did the colour get there?” (Help them see that roots act like straws, sucking up water).  

Show a plant (like mint) with roots packed at the bottom of the pot to explain this. 

 

2. Do Plants Grow Like Us? 

Talk about how eating and drinking helps us grow. Ask:

“Is it the same for plants?” (Now that they know plants drink through roots, they’ll start to understand how plants grow too). 

 

3. Read and Act Out “The Three Pinecones” 
Read the story "The three pinecones" from the Downloadable Materials. Children can act it out, pretending to pick up cones or plant seeds. Bring in three open pinecones (make sure they’re from the ground and have no minibeasts). Use the "Story cards" from the Downloadable Materials to help bring the story to life. 

 

4. Plant a Sunflower Seed 
Each child plants a sunflower seed in a pot or in the school garden (see tips in the "Growing seeds" file in Downloadable Materials). Explain:  

“Plants start small, just like you!” 

Make a big class "Growth chart" (Downloadable Materials), measure each child and their sunflower every week. Sunflowers sprout in about a week, so changes will happen fast! 

 

5. Plants Move Too! 
Once sunflowers start blooming, show how they turn towards the light. Say: 

“Just like you love sunshine, sunflowers do too, they turn to face it!” 

Tip: Want faster results? Try growing ġulbiena (common vetch) in a dark space with light from only one side, this shows how plants bend towards light ("Plants can feel experiment" - Downloadable Materials).


Resources & Equipment Needed

  • White carnation or celery stalk; 
  • Potted mint/herb with visible roots; 
  • Red or blue food colouring; 
  • Small cups or watering cans; 
  • Sunflower and/or common vetch;

You can download these instructions in PDF by clicking here: Generate PDF

Downloadable Material

Activity Sheet_Plants and me

PDF Document

Three Pinecones story (EN)

PDF Document

Story cards

PDF Document

Plants can feel experiment

PDF Document

Growing seeds

PDF Document

Growth chart

PDF Document

Make sure to take photos of:
1. Children doing the coloured water experiment
2. Comparing their height and plant growth on the chart
3. Sowing and growing sunflower seeds
Activity Photos for Inspiration

Learning Outcomes & Curriculum Integration

Subjects

  • - Emergent curriculum

Learning Outcomes

Plants and Me Learning outcomes

1)     Children who develop a strong sense of identity

 

1. 1 Children who develop in a safe, secure environment which they can trust.

3. I engage enthusiastically with new challenges in all areas of development when I feel safe.

1.2 Children who develop a sense of independence and autonomy.

5. I explore opportunities to test my abilities e.g. caring for a pet/plant,

8. I make good use of resources to complete given tasks.

 

3.     Children are socially adept

 

3.1 Children who are capable of establishing relationships with others.

1. I actively interact with others in games and activities.

 

3. I regulate my own behaviour to ensure cooperation and good communication.

3.2 Children who develop empathy, respect and acceptance of different points of view.

2. I am able to express my opinion and listen to the opinions of others.

 

4) Children who are effective communicators

4.1 Children who are capable of using different forms of media for communication.

 

1. I can communicate independently and initiate a conversation verbally in L1 and L2.

2. I listen attentively and respond appropriately in L1 an L2.

4. I show increasing knowledge and skill in using a range of media (e.g. pictures, printed material) to convey meaning.

4.2 Children who interact and engage with varieties of text and printed material increasing their awareness of purposes/functions.

2. I listen attentively to stories being read or narrated in L1 and L2.

3. I respond with relevant comments and questions related to a variety of text

4.3 Children who are familiar with symbols and patterns and their use.

2. I recognise basic colours

5. I have learnt to see symbols as a means of representation

4.4 Children who are aware of different language systems, notably L1 and L2.

 

1. I can use L1 to achieve my communicative goals.

4.6 Children who are versatile with the use of numbers, data handling, shapes and measurement and print in context as a means of production of knowledge and information as well as meaning making and comprehension.

 

1. I understand that numerals are symbols used for quantities.

4. I can recognise and name numbers, describe size, length, volume and capacity

 

5) Children who nurture positive attitudes towards learning and become engaged and confident learners

 

5.1 Children who develop a range of cognitive skills to include labelling/identifying, recognition, sorting, hypothesising, predicting, comparing, sequencing and grouping.

1. I can identify similarities and differences between two or more objects

2. I can predict and think logically, make assumptions and hypothesize, ask questions and reply to open-ended questions.

5.2 Children who develop positive dispositions to include enthusiasm and motivation, curiosity, questioning, concentration, perseverance, imagination, ability to accept alternative suggestions/ criticism.

6. I can follow and extend my interest with enthusiasm and concentration.

5.3 Children who broaden knowledge and reinforce their understanding through availability of and access to various sources of information.

1. I can broaden my knowledge through enquiry and discovery.

2. I can make connections between the experiences and understandings to make sense of the world around me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Integration with Curriculum

Activity

Topic

Proposed Time

Resources

Plants and Me

·       Garden – Flowers

·       Life cycle of a plant

·       Christmas traditions (if doing vetch/ġulbiena)

 

·        

·       December – if doing vetch

 

·       March – to sow sunflowers

                    

·       Term 2/3 – couple of weeks to observe the growth of the sunflower

·       Potted carnation with white flowers or celery stalks with leaves

·       Potted herb e.g. mint which looks like it has outgrown its pot and whose roots are packed at the bottom

·       Blue/red food colouring

·       Small watering can/jug/cup of water

·       Three open pinecones

·       Bag of sunflower seeds

·       Seed tray (optional if planting in school grounds)

·       Plant pots of varying sizes to repot sunflowers (optional if planting in school grounds)

·       Bag of peat-free compost

·       One large piece of card for growth chart

·       Equipment for experiment found in Resources