This is a great way for kids to work on their listening skills while practicing counting as well as learning cause and effect: plant a seed, grow a flower.

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Materials needed:

• Colored Paper
• Popsicle Sticks
• “Garden” container (or two plastic cups)
• Glue and/or tape
• Rice/Sand/Lentils, etc.
• Big Seeds or beans for “planting”

Using the colored paper create ten flowers.  Number each flower and attach it to the top of a popsicle stick.  Create a divided “garden” so that one side is filled with sand/rice/lentils to hold up the flowers and the other side is bare so you can hear seeds drop.  You could also use two plastic cups (one empty and one partially filled with rice).  Involve your child in whichever parts of the crafting process are appropriate.

Learning opportunities:

There are many ways to play with this garden.  Children can practice basic math skills as well as listening and taking turns depending on how you play.  The ideas are listed from most basic to most complicated.

- Plant a seed, grow a flower, plant a seed, grow a flower… repeat.  Adult counts each seed planted and child responds with the number as they plant their flower.  Then child can plant the seeds and the  adult can grow the flowers.

- Adult drops a number of seeds in, one at a time.  The child should count the number of “seed sounds” they hear and plant the corresponding number of flowers.

- For number recognition pick one of the flowers e.g. #5 and plant five seeds and then grow the 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 flowers.

- Add two more seeds… now there are 7

- Three flower get picked for a bouquet (or eaten by a cow)… now there are 4

Do you have more ideas or variations of how to play?  Please leave a comment!!

This activity is part of our plant theme.  Check us out for more activity ideas.