Gardening Australia Junior inspires children to get their hands dirty and explore the world around them.
Learn about how sunflower seeds grow, the different parts of a leaf, how rain forms, and the power of poo and wee.
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For early childhood education resources, go to the Gardening Australia Junior program page
SUBJECTS Maths , Science
YEARS F–2
1. How to wake a sleeping seed 2. Poo power 3. Worm wee in action 4. Why does it rain? 5. Big eggs and little eggs 6. Parts of a leaf
If seeds are “asleep”, how do they know when to wake up?
Millie explores what happens first when a tiny sunflower seed starts to grow, and how it turns into a great big sunflower plant that’s mighty fine!
Loading... Things to think about 1. Millie says the sunflower seed is asleep. What does she say wakes the seed up? Seeds have a hard coat, or shell, and when water gets through the seed coat the embryo inside can wake up. That's why we water seeds after we put them in the soil.2. The first part of the plant to come out of the seed is a root. Millie calls it a radicle — that's its scientific name! Why do you think a sunflower root grows before its leaves? The first root, or radicle, anchors a seed in the soil so it doesn't roll away. It also absorbs water so the stem can grow and the first leaves can push up out of the soil.3. Many people save seeds to plant months or years later. If water (and warmth, and light) wakes up seeds, what do you think is the best way to save seeds? To save seeds, keep them in a dry, cool and dark place so they stay nicely asleep until it's time to grow. No snoring, seedies!4. In nature, when we're not around to water them, how do seeds know it's the right time to wake up? Seeds are programmed to wake up at the right time of year for the plant to grow. The amount of water in the soil is important, but so is the temperature of the soil. Not too cold, not too hot — just the right amount of moisture and off they go.
2. Poo power Poo happens everywhere and all the time. But as the Poo Crew knows, poo has a purpose — it’s good for animals, great for nature and pretty fabulous for seeds, too.
Loading... Things to think about 1. Poo is great not just in your garden. What do you think poo does for nature? Poo gives plants all kinds of nutrients, so those plants can grow and feed more animals or birds, who make more poo … which means more plants. As the Poo Crew points out, poo can also help move seeds around! Many plants produce yummy fruit with seeds inside so animals eat the fruit and later poo the seeds out in new places (with the natural fertiliser in the poo). This helps the plants spread.2. Poos can be big or small, white or brown, wet or dry. Why do you think different kinds of animals do different kinds of poo? What a poo looks like — and what it is made of — depends on what the animal eats and how its body works. Kangaroo poo is very dry because kangaroos live in a hot climate and need all the water from the grass they eat. Bird poo often looks white and dark at the same time because all their waste passes through a single opening called the cloaca.3. What do you think is the difference between poo and soil? Animals eat plants, insects and other living things. Some of this stuff that was once alive ends up in animal poo and can be great for soil, but it is not the same as soil. Soil is a mixture of many things, like gravel, sand, rocks, minerals, dead plants and microorganisms — plus the once-living stuff in the poo that is breaking down. So poo is only one part of the fabulous mixture that makes good soil.
3. Worm wee in action Whose wee do plants love? Worms’ wee! Miki says worms’ pee comes out from all over their bodies, and plants LOVE it. Let’s look at what’s wee-ly going on in the soil when gardeners splash around the worm-wee juice.
Loading... Things to think about 1. Draw a big circle on a poster or whiteboard. Write PLANTS at the top of the circle, ANIMALS on the right side, POO at the bottom and SOIL on the left. Now connect them all with arrows going clockwise. Where do you think worms fit in the cycle? Worms do the important job of feeding the soil. They help break down poo and other decaying organic matter (things that were once alive), which they move into the soil. So they fit in the poo and soil stages of the cycle.2. Worm wee mixed with water and dirt makes worm-wee juice. Miki says it helps plants grow big. Why do you think that is? This is because worms eat decaying organic matter, and their poo and wee contain many of the nutrients from those living things. The result? Super-strength soil food that feeds healthy plants.3. Gardeners also soak worm poo or compost in water to make "tea" for the garden. Find out what worm tea and compost tea are and how to make them.
4. Why does it rain? We all know that plants need water, but what is rain and where does it come from? Watch Jett’s experiment to see how rain forms.
Loading... Things to think about 1. Jett says heat from the Sun evaporates the water, turning it into vapour. When that vapour rises into the sky, it cools and condenses, forming raindrops. Why does water vapour cool as it rises? Find out why air gets colder at a greater altitude (the higher you are above the ground).2. Do you think rain is more likely during the daytime or night-time? A warm day with lots of evaporation can be followed by a cool night — how could this make it more likely to rain?3. Have you ever seen hail? Hailstones can be as small as green peas or as big as golf balls. They form when ice crystals are tossed around inside a storm cloud, collecting layers of water that freeze. With an adult, try freezing coloured water in layers in an ice cube tray, one colour at a time. Explore how the layers stick together but the colours stay separate. What happens as an ice cube melts?
5. Big eggs and little eggs In the Nature Lab, Jett and Koko look at great big eggs from an ostrich and an emu, and teeny-tiny eggs from a quail.
They explore how the size of the bird matches the size of the egg. Big birds make big eggs, and small birds make small eggs.
Loading... Things to think about 1. Koko shows Jett eggs from four kinds of birds: an ostrich, an emu, a quail and a cassowary. Why does she say the emu egg is black and the cassowary egg is green? Why do you think it’s important that a bird’s egg can blend into its surroundings so it’s harder to see it?2. What kind of eggs have you seen in real life? The eggs we eat usually come from chickens and they’re known as hens’ eggs. They can be brown, white and even pale blue! What other kinds of eggs do people eat, and which birds do they come from? Find pictures of duck eggs, goose eggs and quail eggs. Compare their size to a hen’s egg.3. If you see wild eggs, it’s important to leave them where they are so they can hatch. But you can record bird sightings. Start a classroom bird list with birds you see in the schoolyard.
6. Parts of a leaf From stem to tip, leaves are a plant’s powerhouse, making food for the plant from sunlight.
In the Nature Lab, Jett and Koko check out the parts of a leaf that make it work.
Loading... Things to think about 1. How many different leaf shapes can you find? There are leaves with one point (or “apex”) and leaves with lots of points. Go on a hunt for different kinds of leaves. Can you find leaves that are curved, triangular or almost round like a circle? Collect a few, arrange them by shape and trace around them on paper.2. Why do you think leaves change colour in autumn? In places with cold winters, some trees get ready for the season by going dormant (sleeping). A special layer forms at the petiole — the part that connects the leaf to the tree. This layer stops water and nutrients from reaching the leaf. As the green pigment (chlorophyll) fades, the yellow and orange colours in the leaf are revealed, and the leaf turns brown as it dies.Copyright Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2020 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation.