100-1-00-programs-teaching.dwt

We started our seed sharing program the fall of 2005. First through fourth grade students collect seeds from our gardens in September and October. The seeds are allowed to dry until January when the students package them in special Granny's Garden School seed packets. The children assemble the envelopes, then, depending on the age of the students, they write the name of the flower on the front of the envelope and perhaps draw a picture as well, then write planting instructions on the back. We make the seeds available to other schools in the area that are starting their own garden programs.

General Instructions

Fall is the perfect time for kids to learn about seeds by collecting them. Collecting seeds helps students to understand the full life cycle of plants and provides the program with seeds for the coming year and to share with other schools. In addition, it helps them to realize, like the produce they grow, not all seeds have to come from a store.

In the fall, seeds are everywhere, if you just look. Some of the flowers in our gardens are cultivated specifically because they are a good tool for teaching about seeds. A few are featured here. Have the children collect the seeds one day and take photos of the flowers if they are still blooming. Later, on a rainy or too cold to go outside garden day have them make a seed identification book. If the flowers are still blooming, cut some to bring in so they can make drawings for their book. If not, have them draw from the photos they took or ones found on the internet.

Collecting seeds
How a seed is collected depends on the plant. With plants that produce clusters of seeds, zinnia and marigold for example, clip off the whole head (the seed pod). With plants that produce pods, i.e. hyacinth bean, collect the pod. Other seeds, like tomatoes & ground cherries, are found inside of the fruit. Some seeds such as cosmos and cleome will practically fall in your hands when they are ready to harvest. The best seeds to collect are found on this page. See the fact sheet for pictures of the individual seeds for more detailed information.

You need a supply of paper bags or envelopes to put the seed heads in as soon as they're cut. I find 9" x 6" best. They give you room to give the seeds a good shaking to release stay-at-homes. Label each envelope before gathering the seeds. Depending on the amount and size of the seeds you are collecting, you may want to use paper lunch bags rather than envelopes. At this stage, your seeds really need to have enough room for the air to circulate. Always harvest your seeds when it's dry. Around mid-day or early afternoon on a sunny day is ideal, but try not to collect them when they're damp. If you can't avoid it, lay them out separately on newspaper to dry before putting them together in paper bags.

Seed etiquette

Allow the children to take seeds home but limit the amount they take. Remind them there are 1,300 other children who want seeds too. Allow them to take 3-4 seeds home and plant them. Many planted now will emerge in the spring. Also, remind them that each of their seeds will grow a plant a big as the mother plant that produced them. It's a good idea to provide small paper envelopes or bags for the children to collect their seeds. No plastic bags. The seeds will get moldy and die in a plastic bag.

Separating and packaging seeds

Once the seeds are dry, it's time to separate the seed from the chaff. The chaff consists of dried seed coverings and small bits of dried stems, leaves, or petals that can sometimes be confused with the actual seed. At GGS, we usually do this in January or February.

If you are working with large seeds that are easily identifiable from the chaff, your students will enjoy opening the seed pods to collect seeds or plucking them from a sunflower head. If you will be separating the seed from the chaff, it helps to be able to spread the seeds out on a piece of light colored paper. If the seeds are largish, a pair of tweezers is useful for picking them up. If the seeds are small, you can separate them from some of their chaff by holding the paper at an angle and letting the seed roll down - the chaff generally stays put. A combination of these methods usually results in more or less 100% seed only. If you stored your seed pods in paper bags, you will find many of your seeds have separated from the chaff and have fallen to the bottom of the bag.

About the seed packet

Contact Roberta to get a supply of small paper envelopes to serve as the inside liner that holds the seeds, and print a template (found at the top of this page) for students to create the outer, descriptive seed packet. Over the years we have learned that in their effort to avoid sticky fingers, students sometimes leave gaps that allow seeds to escape the seed packet. Using the small inner envelope provides an extra layer to lock in seeds. Seeds are placed inside the small envelope, which is sealed shut by the student. Then, the students cut out the template, fold the flaps, insert the seed envelope, and glue the flaps down.

Seed Packet templates are available on the Seed Packet Patterns page. A blank template is available for students to write planting and growth information and to write the name of and draw the plant that will grow. You may decide to enter all or some of the plant information in advance. If you are packaging the seeds found on the seed sharing page, the plant information is accessed by clicking the link by the picture. Ask your teacher to make copies of the template for the class to use.

Making connections to math or science during your packaging activity

If you are using two different seeds, ask the students to list what is the same and different between the seeds.
Ask the students to estimate the number of seeds in an inch and write them on the board. Then, have the students find the actual number and compare it to the estimate. Extend this by asking the students to estimate the length of one seed and then find the actual length. Next, relate the unit of measurement of the seed to an inch. For example, if the seed is ¼ inch long and 4 seeds equaled one inch, draw a conclusion about how many ¼ inches are in one inch.
Estimate and find the actual amount of seeds in ½ teaspoon.
Ask students what unit of measurement, best measures their seed – inches, centimeters, millimeters.
Check with your teacher about using scales to weigh seeds. The students can estimate the number of seeds in one ounce and find the actual amount. The students can estimate the weight of ½ teaspoon of seeds and find the actual.
Don’t forget to tell the students that a seed is a package of a tiny plant (embryo) and food for the embryo to grow.