Growing Back to School: 6 Hands-On Plant Activities for Kids
Not sure what school is going to look like for your kids this year? Whether you're sending them to school, planning to homeschool, or just looking for fun and educational things to do on the weekends, these hands-on activities can help excite and teach your young ones all about plants!
Plant Activities
Vine Time
Discover how fast different plants can grow!
Best for ages: Pre-K to Early Elementary
You will need: A vining plant, ruler, pencil, and notebook
Best plants to use: Pothos, Zebrina, Philodendron
Here’s how to do it:
Find your favorite vining plant.
Have your kids gently straighten a vine and measure it once a week with a ruler or by counting the number of leaves on the vine.
Write down the vine length by inches, centimeters, and number of leaves each week in a notebook.
For a more challenging activity, measure multiple plants, have your child hypothesize which plant will grow the fastest and see which wins!
Propagation Station
Learn how to grow new plant babies by propagating cuttings or leaves in water and soil!
Best for ages: Late elementary to middle school
You will need: A plant, potting soil, scissors, small pots or paper cups, clear containers, water, cling wrap
Best plants to use: Pothos, Zebrina, Philodendron, Succulents
Propagating foliage plants in water:
Choose a plant to propagate. Pothos, Zebrina, and Philodendrons are all great options that have lots of stems and easily root in water.
Take cuttings of vines or leaves with clean scissors.
Place your cuttings in a cup or container filled with water to encourage propagation.
Check your cuttings every 1-2 days to see if any new growth has occurred.
When your plant has roots that are 2” long, they are ready to be transplanted into a pot with potting mix!
Propagating foliage plants in soil:
Choose a plant to propagate.
Take cuttings of vines with clean scissors.
Transplant vine cuttings directly into a paper cup filled with potting mix.
Water and measure the growth of the vine weekly.
Propagating succulents in soil:
Choose a succulent to propagate. Echeveria and Sedum succulent varieties do very well with the leaf propagation method!
Gently twist off a leaf from your succulent. Don’t worry if you do not want to pluck away at your perfectly good succulent! You can actually purchase succulent leaves and cuttings online at a very affordable price, or ask a friend who is doing some pruning if you can take some of their cuttings.
Place your leaf in a safe spot to dry out for 1-3 days.
Once your leaf begins to dry, set it on top of your potting soil making sure it is not buried.
While well established do not need watered frequently, propagating leaves do! Water your leaf by misting the soil everytime it becomes dry.
Keep an eye out for tiny roots to start forming! You should notice growth within 2-3 weeks.
When your leaf produces a baby succulent that is ½” tall, gently remove the original leaf and plant your new succulent in well draining succulent potting mix! Voila- a new plant for your collection!
Using single leaves from your succulents is just one way to grow new plants! Check out these great tips from Succulents Box on how to propagate succulents using leaves and stem cuttings. If you’re really up for a challenge, try multiplying your succulents using water propagation!
Plant Scavenger Hunt
Learn about native and invasive species of plants, trees, and flowers!
Best for ages: Middle School- High School
You will need: A device to take photos and complete research
Here’s how to do it:
Look up indigenous and invasive plants in your area
Go on a scavenger hunt at a local park/nature reserve to see if you can identify the local plants, trees, and flowers.
Take photos of your findings!
Compare and contrast native and invasive plants. Research how each impacts their environment.
Get Crafty
Press flowers or leaves to preserve them and use them in art projects!
Best for ages: All ages (younger kids may need assistance)
You will need: Wax paper, flowers or leaves, and heavy books
Here’s how to do it:
Search for your favorite flowers around your home or at a park
Place your flowers or leaves between two layers of wax paper inside a book
Add weight by stacking a few more books or other heavy objects on top
Wait a couple weeks and you will have dried and preserved flowers and leaves!
Let your creative juices flow and use them in different crafts or home decor such as this pressed leaf art project!
Leaf Rubbings
Use a crayon or pencil to take rubbings of leaves and tree bark for a nature notebook!
Best for ages: Elementary to Middle School
You will need: Crayons, colored pencils, and plain paper
Here’s how to do it:
Plan a nature walk and bring your supplies to make rubbings of interesting leaves and different types of tree bark that you find.
Place your leaf or bark under your paper on a flat surface.
If using crayons, remove the wrapping from the crayon to use the long side of it rather than the pointed end.
Use the crayon or colored pencil to lightly shade over the leaf and reveal the pattern on the paper.
Pollination Preservation
Learn all about pollinators and why they are important for the environment!
Best for ages: All ages
You will need: Research device
Here’s how to do it:
Research bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to learn about pollination and pollinating insects and birds.
Learn what flowers are good for pollinators and make a plan to plant a pollinator garden at home!
Check out this activity book from pollinator.org for more pollination fun!
Go outside and get your hands dirty! These hands-on plant activities will help teach your kids how plants grow, reproduce, and impact our environment. Who knows, maybe you even have a young botanist in your family!
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