Our Favorite Preschool Garden Activity with Sunflowers
Before starting, share a book about how seeds grow. We displayed these on our science table along with a model that showed the sequence of a seed’s growth. When I was a new teacher I had no idea where to start when it came to gardening activities. I gardened with my own children, but that seemed easy because it was usually one-on-one. But with 16? It felt a bit daunting. Have you felt this way, too? Somehow I figured out how to put together a sunflower garden project that not only involved all 16 preschoolers, but involved 16 individual cups of seeds being planted and nurtured. And it’s a hit year after year. I will admit I don’t recall why I chose mammoth sunflowers, but they have been the easiest and fastest growing plants, year after year. Over the summer I will get emails with photos of the preschoolers standing next to their super tall sunflowers, beaming. They had nurtured their sunflowers every day with love, water, and sunshine. They learned what it was like to taking care of a living thing. This is why I do this sunflower garden project year after year!
Mammoth sunflower seeds Plastic cups Soil Spray bottle Bin to hold soil Scoop to transfer soil to cup Labels to identify the owner of the plant (available towards bottom of this post)
Place soil in a bin along with a scoop. Have seeds available in a shallow tray. Fill spray bottle with water. Place cups near soil.
Favorite Sunflower Books
Little Sunflower Sunflower House A Sunflower’s Life Cycle Plants for Kids: Sunflowers
Spray soil with water. In one week they looked like this: Now they are ready to be taken home! Since this particular activity, I’ve created new labels that can be taped on the cup. Scroll to the bottom of this post to download your copy! Click on the graphics below for your free pdf download: Here is my Privacy Policy
