Kindergarten Science Unit: Seed Germination

In this unit, my Kindergarten students explored seed germination. In the first lesson,  students learned about what seeds need to grow by reading the book The Surprise Garden by Zoe Hall. Next, students planted Lima bean seeds in Ziploc bags for easy observation. I chose Lima bean seeds because they are some of the fastest growing seeds and we all know you can't make Kindergarteners wait too long! Each student got to pick where they wanted to put their seeds in the classroom. The students observed their Lima beans for a week and drew their observations in their Plant Growth Journals. At the end of the lesson, students used pieces of string to measure their Lima Bean plants. We taped the strings to a piece of butcher paper and discussed why some seeds grew more than others.
In the second lesson, we used the butcher paper to review the different factors that affected seed growth. Next, we reviewed the variables that seeds need. Students chose what variable they wanted to change and then planted their Lima Bean seed as before except they changed one variable. Again, we observed the seeds for a week and at the end of the week we measured our plants. We filled in our KLEW chart and discussed what we learned about seed germination. It was a really fun experiment. I wish I had taken some pictures to share with you!

Seed Germination Day 1
Seed Germination Day 2
Plant Growth Journal Cover
Plant Growth Journal Pages
KLEW Chart