ABSTRACT
This chapter presents ideas for practice which focus on growing plants in different ways. Young children start by growing plants from seeds and exploring the concept of germination. When children are asked to draw what they imagine to be inside a seed, they often draw a capsule containing a fully formed baby plant. In reality the embryo from which a new plant grows is only a tiny part of a seed. Besides containing the embryo, a seed also stores the food it needs to grow. Seeds are living things in a state of dormancy waiting for the right conditions to grow. Seeds contain food to fuel the growth of the embryo plant. To germinate, seeds require water and the right soil temperature. Once they produce roots and leaves, seedlings need light and water to continue to grow.
