Take your plant science learning outside! This lesson pairs the Printable Plant Needs Worksheet with real garden exploration and plant care. Children will predict, observe, and track what factors help plants thrive — and wrestle with real-world variation in sunlight, soil, and watering. It’s a hands-on bridge between print and reality, designed to engage, inspire, and connect children deeply with nature using the My Time, Our Place framework.
👉 Download the Printable Plant Needs Worksheet for Kids
Age / Stage: 5–10 years (adjust complexity as needed)
Duration: ~60 to 75 minutes
Learning Outcomes (MTOP-aligned):
- Outcome 3 (Wellbeing): Connecting with nature, mindfulness, care for living things
- Outcome 4 (Learning): Inquiry, observation, experimenting, recording data
- Outcome 5 (Communication): Explaining findings, drawing, describing
- Outcome 2 (Community): Group work, caring role, shared responsibility
🎯 Objectives (Learning Goals)
By the end of the session, children will:
- Identify and understand the basic needs of plants (water, light, air, soil/nutrients).
- Observe and record plant growth and health over time in an outdoor setting.
- Use the cut-and-paste Plant Needs Worksheet to reinforce theory and link observations to drawings/labels.
- Work collaboratively to care for plants (watering, monitoring, adjusting placement).
- Reflect on what conditions help plants thrive, and how human choices (placement, watering) affect growth.
🧰 Materials Needed
- Printable Plant Needs Worksheet (cut-and-paste version) — one per child or pair
- Scissors, glue sticks
- Clipboards or hard surfaces for writing outdoors
- Pencils, coloured pencils or markers
- Small potted plants or seedlings (beans, herbs, fast-growing plants)
- Soil, seeds, water cans or spray bottles
- Plant labels / stakes
- Rulers / measuring tapes
- Observation journal or recording sheet
- Shade/partial sun areas, garden beds, or planters
- Optional: magnifying glasses
📋 Lesson Plan Steps
| Time | Activity | Purpose / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 10 min | Introduction & Discussion | Gather children outdoors, show them the worksheet, ask: What do you think plants need to live? Record their responses on a whiteboard or flip chart. |
| 10 min | Worksheet Cut-and-Paste Activity | Hand out the Plant Needs Worksheet. Children cut out labels or icons (e.g. water droplet, sun, air arrows, soil) and paste them around a blank plant diagram. They’ll later revisit and adjust based on real observations. |
| 5 min | Group Plant Setup | In small groups, children choose a seedling or plant and decide where to place it (sunny spot, partial shade, etc.). They make a prediction: Which placement will grow best? Why? |
| 15 min | Observation & Sketching | Children walk around the garden or yard, observe different plants, and sketch leaf shapes, stems, soil, and note sun vs shade differences. Use magnifiers to examine small parts. |
| 5 min | Watering & Care | Each group waters their plant (consistently) and records the amount. They place plant in the chosen spot and label it. |
| 10 min | Recording & Reflection | Return to worksheet: children label which conditions their plant will get (sun, shade, water, air, soil). They write or draw a short prediction: What will happen over the next week? |
| + Ongoing (Daily / Weekly) | Monitoring & Journaling | Over subsequent days/weeks, children revisit plants, measure height, note changes, photograph or sketch progress, begin comparisons. |
| 5 min (closing) | Share & Compare Predictions | Each group shares their plant placement, why they chose it, and what they expect to see. Take a “garden walk” to view all plants together. |
🔍 Extension Ideas & Differentiation
- Variation: Create a “microclimate maze” — children move the plant between different microhabitats (sunny bench, under a tree, near fence) each day and track growth differences.
- Advanced: Introduce variables such as different soil types (potting mix vs garden soil), or test with no water / minimal water groups.
- Literacy link: Have children write a “care card” for their plant, explaining what treatment it needs.
- Math link: Measure stem height, leaf count, or leaf area. Graph results over days.
- STEAM twist: Build small plant shelters or frames to control water exposure or shade, then test effectiveness.
- Art link: Use leaves, petals, or bark rubbings as collage material, integrating observation with creative expression.
📈 Monitoring & Assessment
- Observation journal entries serve as formative assessment: look for detailed notes, use of vocabulary (sunlight, photosynthesis, roots), predictions, and reflection on growth.
- Final reflection: Ask children to revisit their original prediction and compare with actual growth after several weeks. What surprised them? What would they do differently next time?
- Portfolio samples: Keep completed worksheets, journal pages, and before/after sketches for showcasing to families or for MTOP reporting.
💬 Linking Back to MTOP
- My Time: Children decide how to observe, predict, and care for their chosen plant.
- My Place: Learning happens outside, rooted in the garden space. Children see their plant as part of their environment.
- My Pace: Some may monitor daily, others weekly; adjustments allowed based on interest and confidence.
- Outcome 3 (Wellbeing): Time in nature fosters calm, curiosity, and connection with living things.
- Outcome 4 (Learning): Inquiry, measurement, experimentation, and adaptation fuel scientific thinking.
- Outcome 5 (Communication): Discussion, prediction articulation, journaling, and group sharing build expressive skills.
- Outcome 2 (Community): Group care and shared responsibilities help children feel invested in their communal space.
🌿 Ready to Start Growing and Learning?
Bring your science lesson to life with this hands-on printable!
👉 Download the Printable Plant Needs Worksheet for Kids
This fun cut-and-paste activity helps children explore what plants need to grow — light, water, air, and soil — while linking directly to your outdoor learning or gardening program.
Perfect for OSHC, classrooms, or nature play sessions, it encourages observation, care, and curiosity about the living world.
Print it, take it outside, and let your young gardeners discover how plants thrive — one seed at a time! 🌱