Garden Lessons: Germination Race! (2nd Grade)

Grade(s): 2nd

Lesson Objective(s): Students conduct a “Seed race,” planting different types of seeds and seeing which will grow first

Ohio Curriculum Standard: Living things cause changes in it’s environment, Basic needs of living things, Living vs non-living

Note: This Lesson is adapted for the Highland Youth Garden from Ag In the Classroom’s “Garden in a Glove” lesson

Supplies Needed

• “A Seed is Sleepy” by Dianna Hutts Aston

• plastic ziploc bags (1 per student)

• bean, pea, & radish seeds (1 per student)

• 30 black sharpies (class set)

• container w moistened cotton balls (3 cotton balls per student)

• Germination Race Worksheet (Draw in plastic bag & Cotton balls onto bottom of worksheet)

• Snap Peas (2 per student) for snack

• felt board with definition of “germination” and showing how seeds develop into plants

• tape

• Hand sanitizer

• Harmonica

Introduction (2-3 mins):

• Read “A Seed Is Sleepy”

• Explain to students that we are going to have .a “germination race.” Show students plastic bag example.

  • Ask: what do you think “germination” means? Explain that germination is when a plant starts to sprout. Show demo on felt board.

Activity

• Each student gets a plastic bag & a sharpie. Show on whiteboard/chalkboard how to label the bag:

  • Radish, Bean, Pea

• Each student gets 3 moistened cotton balls. Review: what do plants need to “germinate”? They need water! Explain that we are going to use the cotton balls as our water & “soil".”

• Each students gets a bean seed, a pea seed, & a bean seed. Help them distinguish which is which, and make sure they are “planted” them in the correct place in the plastic bag.

• Once the “seeds” are planted, each student can tape up their plastic bag to a sunny window to germinate (have teacher help with this)

• After all supplies are collected, pass out “Germination Race” worksheet. On worksheet:

  • Have students write definition of “germination” on worksheet

  • Make a prediction: Which seed do you think is going to come up first- the bean, the pea, or the radish?

  • Once seeds come up, label what order they came in and what they look like.

Wrap-up (5 Mins):

• Enjoy a pea snack!

Classroom Extensions:

Read “From seed to plant” by Gail Gibbons, examine the different stages of plant life. “Transplant” seeds into garden, containers, or even a fish tank with soil to continue to watch them grow!