Sunflower House
Pre-program Activity: Seed Sort
Provide a pile of seeds of many shapes, colors, and sizes. Ask the children to help sort them by shape, color, size, and how they travel. Do they bounce, float, stick like Velcro, or parachute?
Story
Sunflower House by Eve Bunting
Show and Tell
Discuss story. Talk about the seeds that they sorted.
Song/Activity
Show a picture of a gardener in a garden. The teacher picks an adult to be the ‘gardener,’ and the children become the ‘seeds.’
“The Garden”
(tune of London Bridge)
See the gardener plant the seeds, plant the seeds, plant the seeds.
See the gardener plant the seeds. She/he plants them in a row.
Now she has to water them, water them, water them.
Now she has to water them so the seeds will start to grow.
Then the seeds will start to grow, start to grow, start to grow.
Then the seeds will start to grow. Grow up big and tall.
See how big and tall they are, tall they are, tall they are.
See how big and tall they are, standing in a row.
Now the gardener picks the fruit, picks the fruit, picks the fruit.
Now the gardener picks the fruit and eats it for her lunch.
Show and Tell
Share a cup with a seed growing in it (directions provided in the Activity following). Tell the students they will get to take one home and watch a seed grow.
Craft
- Place paper towels in a clear plastic cup. Place a couple sunflower seeds between the cup and the paper towels. Dampen the towels. They will need to remain damp until transplanted. Place cup in a bright window. Watch what happens!
- Go on a seed walk. Give everyone an old sock to wear over their shoes. Take a walk in a field, empty lot, or prairie. Examine the socks after your walk. What size, shape, or color are the seeds? Plant your sock if you wish and see what comes up.
Craft: Paper Plate Sunflowers
Show a picture of a sunflower. Give each team a paper plate and seeds. Ask them to glue seeds on the center of the plate. Glue or staple a green strip for a stem and yellow paper for petals if they like. I like to let the kids tear yellow pieces of paper up for the petals. It looks more like a 3- year old’s creation! I love to hear. Look Mommy, what I made!
Snack
Provide different kinds of seeds like popcorn, sunflower seeds, and fruit. Cut the fruit so the seeds can be seen.
Activities provided by:
Polk County Conservation Board
Ginny Malcomson
Nature Tots is funded by Polk County Conservation Board, West Des Moines Park and Recreation, and the Des Moines Chapter of the Izaak Walton League.
_ 0-1
_ 1-2
_ 2-3
✓ 3-4
_ 4-5
_ 5-6
Category: Adult-Child
Time:
1 hour
Season:
spring, summer, fall
Iowa Early Learning Standards:
8.2, 9.1, 9.4, 10.4, 11.1, 11.2, 12.1, 12.3, 12.4, 12.5, 13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 14.3
Related Kindernature Resources: Other Resources:
