Elementary School Seed Saving Curriculum
Why Incorporate Seed Saving into Curriculum?
Healthy ecosystems throughout history have relied on interactions between flora and fauna, and humans will continually be reliant on the food systems in place, which are experiencing more and more strain in the face of climate change. Seed saving in school curriculum can provide an outlet for students to see the impact of growing your own plants from seed and create a bond to their land that promotes stewardship in the long run. Interactions with the environment can also be a needed outlet when sitting inside at a desk all school day. Today in the US, only 10 companies control the vast majority of the food and drink found in grocery stores, and establishing seed saving from a young age can inspire the next generation of thinkers on food systems currently in place.
Curriculum for students at each grade level should be tailored to their attention span, need for immediate gratification, and understanding of science, as well as the physical resources your school has to offer.
From Generation to Generation by Eli Rogosa Kaufman in partnership with Fedco Seeds based in Maine provides a Grade-by-Grade project chart highlighting the topics and themes best targeted at each level of education to guide your curriculum:
Healthy ecosystems throughout history have relied on interactions between flora and fauna, and humans will continually be reliant on the food systems in place, which are experiencing more and more strain in the face of climate change. Seed saving in school curriculum can provide an outlet for students to see the impact of growing your own plants from seed and create a bond to their land that promotes stewardship in the long run. Interactions with the environment can also be a needed outlet when sitting inside at a desk all school day. Today in the US, only 10 companies control the vast majority of the food and drink found in grocery stores, and establishing seed saving from a young age can inspire the next generation of thinkers on food systems currently in place.
Curriculum for students at each grade level should be tailored to their attention span, need for immediate gratification, and understanding of science, as well as the physical resources your school has to offer.
From Generation to Generation by Eli Rogosa Kaufman in partnership with Fedco Seeds based in Maine provides a Grade-by-Grade project chart highlighting the topics and themes best targeted at each level of education to guide your curriculum:
Find the publication From Generation to Generation in full here which includes educational information on pollinators, heirloom seeds, role of seed throughout past civilizations and native seeds, along with much else.
Consider these resources a diverse menu from which you can select the best tools for your teaching. Most of these resources would ideally be used to complement activities in an active outdoor school garden program. We understand that not every school is blessed with a garden, but that shouldn’t limit your use of these resources. While an outdoor investigation of a plant’s lifecycle from seed to plant to seed is preferred, many of these resources can still be used individually to complement lessons in plant science, biodiversity or environmental studies.
The resources below are provided in unformatted documents that are easily modifiable and shared with others. Please feel free to pick and adapt the resources that best suit your needs. We understand the need to modify content for specific age, grade or student needs and appreciate the personal flair that each educator will bring to their lessons.
K-2
There are various things to consider at each stage of education. For example:
At the elementary level, students require more immediate gratification from the results of their efforts. Teaching getting seeds out of seed pods, planting, and watering is a good place to start. See further below for more elementary level resources created by SeedChange.
- Occidental Arts & Ecology Center: This resource for educators of elementary school classrooms ties in history and lore of seeds
- Grow Hub and Working Food: This short resource guides students through exactly what is needed to get growing
- Working Food: This is an introduction to seeds for younger elementary schoolers, introducing them to thinking about seeds and why it's important to plant yourself
- Seed Library Network: Check out the coloring books on our website as well (found on our website under ‘Seed Saving with Kids’)
3-5
- Our Seeds, Our Stories/Nuestras Semillas, Nuestras Historias: This resource, currently limited to upper elementary school level curriculum, but to be updated soon with middle and high as well, starts to introduce plant phenotypes and breeding
- The Wild Seed Project: This organization based in Maine has created a 4-lesson plan to teach and guide students through collecting and dispersing seeds, lesson plans 3 and 4 focus on the hands on collecting and planting of seeds
- California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom: The following lesson plan starts to explore how plants can provide nutrients to the soil and to each other, forming a full ecosystem
More Elementary School Seed Saving Activities
Content developed and contributed by SeedChange.
Folder with SeedChange elementary school curriculum
The Garden Biodiversity
GameStudents play the role of different bean varieties under ever-changing growing conditions in the garden. This game clearly illustrates how planting biodiversity helps keep the harvest safe.
Planning Your Garden
Students plant their garden using scissors, paper and glue, putting biodiversity planning into practice.
Bean Exercises
Warm-up and channel your inner veggie with these diverse bean-inspired stretching exercises.
Germination Race
Start your engines! Students will track the germination of multiple different varieties of a crop (i.e. 3 different varieties of bean) and see which wins!
Get to Know Your Food Seeds
Learn to recognize the seeds found in common fruits and vegetables and create a class seed display.
Our Daily Seeds
Seeds are not just for the birds! Consider just how much this first step in the food chain makes up a large part of our diets.
Compare and Contrast Beans
Students make qualitative and quantitative observations while investigating the diversity found within a single crop.
Pumpkin Patch Math
Reinforce estimating, measuring, counting, data collection and graphing skills while exploring the diversity of the humble JackO-Lantern.
Magic Multiplying Seeds
How many seeds do you get in the fall for an investment of one seed in the spring? Estimate and count the number of seeds produced per plant.
Seeds and Pioneer Life in Canada
This seed stashing/role-playing activity will get students thinking like hungry pioneer farmers.
Design a Seed Pack
Save like the pros. Design a compelling seed envelope and learn about the important conditions needed to safely store and label seeds.
Seed Name Art
Examine the diversity of texture, color and pattern in different seeds to create a biodiverse piece of art.
Background Information for Educators
Why Sow and Save?
Information for educators about the many reasons to teach children the art and science of saving seeds.
Seed Starting Basics
Basic information for starting seeds inside a classroom and transplanting outdoors.
Growing Variety
A list of suggested varieties to grow with children that will capture their imagination and provide striking, visual examples of biodiversity in the garden. (Note: This content was developed in Canada and may not be suitable for your bioregion.)
Seed Saving in School Gardens
Background information for seed saving educators on collecting, drying, processing and storing seeds with students.
How Will We Know When to Harvest Our Seeds?
Using color photographs, this document shows the basic stages to look for in the lifecycle of five easy garden crops (lettuce, radish, pea, bean and sunflower) so you will know exactly when to harvest your seeds.
Glossary
Common vocabulary used when learning about seeds, seed saving and biodiversity within and among crops.
Multimedia Resources
A Seed Story Animation Video
The story of food begins and ends with seeds. In one minute, a group of elementary school children explain why seeds deserve our attention and protection.
Food Biodiversity PowerPoint
Take your students on a visual food diversity tour! Differences in size, shape, colour and traits create the bountiful, beautiful and resilient biodiversity of the food we eat. Learn why planting, saving, and sharing this food biodiversity is so important.
Seed Saving and Seed Banking
PowerPointTake your students on a visual tour of seed saving and banking efforts around the world. How and why would you ever save seeds? Learn the practical tools of the trade and take part in the global effort to protect our agricultural food crops.
Match the Seed to the Crop Quiz
Guess which food grows from which seed? Take the ‘Match the Seed to the Crop’ Quiz! to visually reinforce your new seed knowledge.
Diverse Food Collages
From tomatoes to beans to sunflowers, these colorful collages visually showcase some of the astonishing diversity found within 12 common food crops. Pictures can be color printed and laminated for use in the classroom and garden to promote an appreciation for the variety found within our agricultural crops.