all picks
An extension/ homework task or project to survey the types of seeds in your neighbourhood.
A comprehensive reference resource with information and definitions. Includes series of web-based tasks and resources based on plant science and anatomy.
A series of activities that give pupils an opportunity to explore different aspects of fruits and seeds and to understand how (and why) they are dispersed. The activities presented here are suitable for pupils in age range 5 to 11, but should be adapted to suit the age and ability of the pupils.
This booklet includes activities that children can do to find out more about plants, focusing on ways that children can grow their own plants. Several of the activities are set out as investigations, to support children developing their approach to investigations in a scientific way.
Present this PDF to your class to teach photosynthesis to pupils at around 10 years old
Strictly, neither of these words appears on the curriculum for children at this level. However, indirect reference is likely to be made to both processes, so we give these background notes in a way that could be used with children.
Germination and variables activity for 8 - 11 years.
An interactive presentation, suitable for Key Stage 2 (8-11 year olds) describing the different parts of a plant. The plant detective covers topics such as: Reproduction Photosynthesis Adaptation To use the plant detective you will need to have a Flash viewer installed
BBC Bitesize provides information, an activity (based on the popular Sarah Jane adventures) and a quiz on plant growth.
Resources for a plant identification event that happened in 2013 but loads of worksheets and games that are still useful
5 question interactive quiz for students to check their knowledge of conditions required for healthy plant growth. The quiz changes when it is done more than once for a few cycles, but includes some previous questions to reinforce learning.
Series of interactive activities and some games based around plant biology. Can be used on the whiteboard to find out about flowers, seed dispersal, conditions for germination and more. NOTE- some of the links to explain words within the text do not work but the teacher can discuss the words with the class and the resource is otherwise useful.
Site with links to flower based writing frames, fact sheets and online interactive games.
A fun activity to help 7-8 yr old children learn about growing plants. They need to add the right amount of water and heat to grow a plant. Includes a quiz.
Online or printable word search, definitions of the words to be found are given so good to practice science vocabulary
Information and an activity based on compost.
A concept cartoon to explore ideas about plant growth. Has links to ideas and follow up activity. Click on the characters to see what they think.
3 useful clips of different seeds (corn, sunflower, arabidopsis) germinating from under the soil in darkness to above ground views of seedlings. The corn clip shows what happens if seeds are planted upside down. The accompanying text is fine for the teacher but would need some simplification for the pupils.
Great 4.5 min clip from BBC’s Blooming History to share with the class when learning about photosynthesis- years 5-9 good for showing how scientific understanding (in this case photosynthesis) developed through several people discovering different things
great 4 minute clip showing van Helmont’s experiment with willow trees to discover why they got heavier. Complements the concept cartoon on why plants get bigger very well. Good for considering how experimentation and evidence is needed --- but conclusions are not always 100%! Good for science history too and discussing factors that can influence scientific progress He considered the question