Science with Ollie

How a Seed Grows

Ollie plants a tiny seed, then we peek under the ground to watch it wake up, grow roots and a shoot, pop out of the soil and bloom into a flower.

⏱️ 3 minutes🧒 Ages 3 to 9🔇 No ads💬 Captions
Free printable

The How a Seed Grows workbook

Ten low-ink pages for ages 4 to 8. Print at home on Letter paper, grab some crayons and become a super plant scientist.

  • Label the parts of a seed
  • What does a seed need? Circle it!
  • Life cycle cut-and-paste and word tracing
  • A Day 1 to Day 7 bean-jar log
  • Colouring page, quiz and a certificate
Download the free workbook PDF, 10 pages, 2.7 MB. Free for home and classroom use.
Try it at home

Grow a bean in a jar

Watch the root come out first, just like in the video. It takes about a week.

  1. Wet towel in a jar

    Put a wet paper towel inside a clear jar.

  2. Tuck in a bean

    Slide a bean seed between the paper towel and the glass, so you can see it.

  3. Warm and bright

    Keep the towel wet and put the jar in a warm, bright spot.

  4. Look every day

    Check on it each day. Does the root come out first? Draw it in your workbook log!

👋 Ask a grown-up to help you. Beans are for growing, not for eating raw.

seedrootshootleavesflower
New science topic

Up or Down? Two Ways Seeds Sprout

Beans pull their seed leaves up into the sunshine. Peas keep theirs down in the soil! A sing-along video, a jar experiment and a free 8-page workbook.

Watch Up or Down

Ollie the fox holding a bean seed and a pea seed
Quiz time

What do you remember?

Say your answer out loud, then tap the card to check.

Question 1

What grows first: the root or the shoot?

👆 Tap to see the answer
The root!The root always comes out first and grows down into the soil.
Question 2

Which way does the shoot grow: down into the soil, or up toward the light?

👆 Tap to see the answer
Up toward the light!The shoot grows up, up, up, then pops out of the soil.
Question 3

What does a seed need to wake up: ice cream or water?

👆 Tap to see the answer
Water!And warmth and air too.
Question 4

What does a flower make: new seeds or socks?

👆 Tap to see the answer
New seeds!And then the life cycle starts all over again.

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