Seeds

Have you noticed the roadsides lined with golden rod? While many think of seeds in spring, when they must be planted, those of us who like to explore for seeds just love this time of year! Children love exploring the woods and discovering all of the different types of seeds that can be found there. Sometimes you even discover things you weren’t looking for, like a caterpillar on a maple leaf!

This week’s Forest Day classes have been investigating seed dispersal. Seeds can be dispersed by the plant itself, like the lupine, by animals, by water, and by wind. While hiking through the forest, children were encouraged to look for certain kinds of seeds, although any seeds were acceptable. Once the collecting time had ended, the children were asked to find a way to divide their seeds into categories. Some children divided their seeds based on weight, others by color, and some into categories based on their dispersal methods.

Children should be encouraged to draw some of their findings and even develop graphs to display their data. How many of their total seeds are dispersed by the plant, by animals, by water, and by the wind? There are so many possibilities for extension!

Looking for a book to kick off your study of seeds? Try Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler.