Flowers and Seeds Inquiry Based Learning

Inquiry based learning: inquiry centers and activities to explore flowers and seeds. Facilitate inquiry based learning with plants with technology, hands-on learning and exploration.

My students were very excited when we read a book about spring and the signs of spring. During our class discussion, they started talking about the different plants and flowers that they grow at home.

Since they were so excited about this, I set up a variety of flower and seeds inquiry centers throughout the week so that students could explore and learn about plants.

We incorporated art, literacy and technology into our activities, and I thought I would share some of the great work our students did!

loose parts provocation

This is the book that inspired and set off our whole unit: Bella and Jack Bring Back the Bees! I set it out at our loose parts center with different materials that students could use.

Throughout the week we wanted to inspire our students to look at different flowers and try to create their own with various loose parts. I printed some colourful pictures and set them out with different materials so that students would look closely at the various flowers.

Throughout the week I changed up the materials that were set out, and I added real flowers to the table.

I love all the beautiful flowers that they created!

parts of a flower

At this center, students were encouraged to take a closer look at our flowers and draw or write about what they noticed. We had a discussion about the different parts of a plant, and we drew our own flowers and labelled them.

The plants sparked some great discussions and wonders. These two students were talking about this plant and how it grows out of a bulb. We found a picture of a bulb to see what it looked like, and they wondered what the flowers were going to look like when they opened up.

planting

We planted our own seeds for our classroom. The test tubes are perfect for showing the roots of a plant as they grow. The beans will sprout inside the plastic bag and show how the plant grows.

These are great ways for students to see the seeds sprout and grow.

seed investigation

Next, we discussed seeds and where they can be found. This center was set up so students could see that seeds can be found in the food that they eat, and they could get a closer look at them.

They had a great time comparing the different seeds and getting a closer look at them. They were able to write out their observations on their recording sheets.

If you would like to use this page, you can download it in my Resource Library.

We set out magnifying glasses and these pocket microscopes so that students could get a closer look at the seeds.

easi-scopes

Once they had found a seed and made their observations, they brought the seed over to our laptop center. I had set up Easi-Scopes (they are digital microscopes that take can take pictures or videos) so that students could get close-up pictures of their seed.

Our students were so excited to use these, and they were able to figure out how to use them really quickly. They took all of their own pictures and once they had one that they liked, we uploaded it to a Padlet that I created for our class:

Flower and Seed Investigation

You can visit our page and leave a comment on our awesome pictures!

They were also able to type in a caption for their picture. I love how they were then able to see everyone else’s pictures.

This was such a great inquiry unit that was a lot of fun. I feel like we really were able to engage students and facilitate their learning.

inquiry based learning

I have written blog posts about other inquiries that have happened in my classroom: space, avocado, leaf, ducks, potato bugs. They are always so much fun, and students are so engaged in their learning.

If you want to learn more about my classroom, take a look at My Ultimate Guide to Kindergarten Centers. Or you want to see my classroom’s Space Inquiry