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Early Childhood Curriculum Support:
Predicting, Listening, Observing, and Recording--
Integrating Technology

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Growing and Plants

Growing and Spring

Skills used during the study of growing and plants include the following:

  • Observing
  • Measuring
  • Sequencing

Spring is an excellent time to explore growing of plants, animals, and people. In many areas of the United States, spring is a time of new growth and birth of animals. A variety of children's software is available to help children explore different aspects of growing and seasonal changes. Some of the software includes The Backyard, Forever Growing Garden, and Sammy's Science House. The software and related activities will help children develop observational skills, measuring skills, sequencing skills, an understanding of the life cycle, and an appreciation and respect of living things.

Software

The Backyard

HyperStudio

Sammy's Science House

Activities

  • Create off-computer activities for sequencing from The Backyard and Sammy's Science House.
  • Plant seeds or a garden. Children can observe the growth, notice changes, measure the growth, and discover what plants need to live. This activity can be documented with photographs and charts of the growth. The charts and photos can be imported into a HyperStudio stack with the children recording their observations and knowledge onto the stack. The stack can be printed into a classroom book.

Related Activities

Science

  • Plant seeds and locate them in different areas to see what location is best for their growth. Other things to try include changing the amount of water given to the seedlings and varying the type of soil used.
  • Observe the plants and trees in the area to notice changes. This should be a year-long activity and the documentation can be added to the HyperStudio stack.
  • Notice the similarities and difference of the plants

 
Photo of Plant Measuring

Math

  • Measure children's heights at different times of the year. Record the heights and make comparisons as to who is the tallest, the shortest, and who grew the most between the measurements.
  • Measure the plants' growth.
  • Observe patterns found in flowers, leaves, and other parts of plants (Identification of patterns is also a science skill).
  • Sort and count seeds when planting.

 

Social Studies

  • Visit a farm, greenhouse, nursery, or grocery store to discover how agriculture impacts our daily lives.
  • Ask if families have gardens or house plants. Perhaps a family would like to share information about their plants. Have friends and relatives who live in different areas of the country or world send pictures of the types of plants that grow there.
  • Compare those plants with those grown in the children's area.
  • Correspond with a class in another climate on the Interent. Send pictures to one another and compare and contrast the plants and seasons

Books

Agell, C. (1994). Mud makes me dance in the Spring. Gardiner, ME: Tilbury House.

Bash, B. (1990). Urban roosts. Boston: Little, Brown.

Berenstain, S., & Berenstain, J. (1996). The Berenstain bears grow-it: Mother Nature
          has such a green thumb. New York: Random House.

Bridwell, N. (1997). Clifford's Spring clean-up. St. Paul, MN: Cartwheel Books.

Brown, C. (1994). In the Spring. New York: Greenwillow.

Clifton, L., & Turkle, B. (1992). The boy who didn't believe in Spring.
           New York: Dutton.

Cole, J., & Degen, B. (1995). The Magic School Bus plants seeds: A book about
          how living things grow. New York: Scholastic.

Demuth, J. B., & Barnes, S. (1994). Cradles in the trees. New York: Macmillan.

Fowler, A. (1991). How do you know it's Spring? (Rookie Read About Science Series).
           Danbury, CT: Children's Press.

Lerner, C. (1996). Backyard birds of Summer. New York: Morrow Junior Books.

Marzollo, J., & Sheehan, N. (1998). How kids grow. St. Paul, MN: Cartwheel Books.

Mayes, S. (1989). What makes a flower grow? Tulsa, OK: E D C Publications.

Powell, E. S., & Davila, Z. (1992). Chance to grow. Minneapolis, MN:
          First Avenue Editions.

Rius, M., & Parramon, J. M. (1998). The four seasons: Spring, Winter, Summer, Fall.

Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Juveniles.

Rockwell, A. F., Rockwell, H., & Rockwell, L. (1996). My Spring robin.
           Madison, WI: Demco Media.

Simon, S. (1996). Spring across America (Seasons across America). Westport, CT:
           Hyperion Press.