Seed Starting Tips for PreK to 5th Grades

Gardening is a natural introduction to the scientific process for our young learners. Seeds are all around us, from the snacks we eat throughout the day to the sidewalks we walk on our way into schools. Seeds have everything a plant needs to start growing, and it’s just a matter of luck (plus thoughtful planning) for a seed to start growing in the right environment.

Seed starting is a fantastic activity to do when the weather isn’t quite cooperating for outdoor garden-based activities, yet. Here are some super simple activities to do by grade level (most of which are written up more fully in our Grow@Home Guide):

PreK – Kindergarten: Set up a pot with soil in your classroom, and students can place seeds from their fruits into the pot with a popsicle stick near the seed with what type of seed they planted and wait to see what happens.
Grades 1 – 2: Try setting up seed greenhouses with legume seeds like peas or beans in plastic bags with moist paper towels so that students can watch the root and shoot grow (seed germination).
Grade 3: If you already have a life cycles section in your curriculum, try adding planting seeds alongside this series as a good hands-on visual of another life cycle.
Grades 4 – 5: Seed starting is a fantastic way to let students really dive into the scientific method. What variables can your students think of to change that might impact the ways their students grow?

A helpful hint: spinach is a notoriously tough seed to start indoors, so we recommend beans and other forms of greens like lettuce, mustard greens, salad mixes, collards, and kale.