Garden Lessons: Planting seeds in different mediums (1st grade)

What’s the big deal about soil, anyway?

In this experiment, students plant seeds in cotton balls, soil, and clay, make predictions about their experiment, and record their observations.

Book Recommendations

Here are some of our favorite books about soil. While you read, discuss with students what they think about soil: Why do we grow plants in soil, instead of in cotton balls or paper? Where does soil come from? Are all soils the exact same? What’s the difference between soil and dirt?

• Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie Rosinsky

• Life in a Bucket of Soil by Alvin Silverstein

• Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

Supplies Needed

• Radish Seeds

• 3 baking sheets or tin foil containers

• Clay: divided up into one ball per student

• Cotton balls: one per student

• Dixie Cup & Sandwich baggie of soil: one set per student

• Dixie cup (to fill with water, 1 per student)

• Watering Can or sink

• Spray Bottles with fresh water

• Paper plates

• Markers or pencils

• Soil Experiment Packet (1 per student)
  

Step 1: Set up experiment parts

Place one cup on you desk and fill 1/3 with water. Also get out the clay, cotton ball, and the second cup and baggie of soil. Carefully add soil to the cup that doesn’t have any water in it, until it’s almost all the way full.

Label your plate around the trim, so that the words “clay,” “cotton,” and “soil” are spread out around the plate. Also write your name on the plate.

Step 2: plant seeds

Now it’s time to play seeds!

Let’s start with clay: Roll the clay into a little ball. Quickly dip the clay into the water cup, making sure it’s wet. Gently press one seed into the clay ball and add to the paper plate where you added the “Clay” label. To the same with the cotton ball: wetting it slightly, squeezing it out, and gently pressing a seed into the ball. Add to the plate.

For the soil cup: make a small hole with your finger in the middle of the soil, and plant your seed. Pour the reminder of your water into the cup and add to your plate.

Put near a sunny window. If you have a large class, you can transfer the planted seeds into baking containers and label them to save space: all clay balls in one, soil in one, and cotton balls in another.

Step 3: Make Predictions

Get our your Soil Experiment Packet. On page one, write your name, and draw a picture of what you think your experiment will look like in 3 weeks. When we make a guess about what will happen in our experiments, it’s called a prediction.

Step 4: Observe!

Continue to observe your seeds! For 3 weeks in a row, draw pictures of how your seeds have changed, and the difference and similarities between the seeds planted in cotton, soil, and clay. Make sure you use a spray bottle regularly to keep your seeds moist. Plants can’t live without water!

Did your seeds look the same after 3 weeks as you thought? What are some differences between the seeds?