1. food and drink
2. food
3. grains and pasta

SEED SENSE
IDAHO BOTANICAL GARDEN
HAVE FUN WITH SEEDS
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVE: Students will develop an awareness of
seeds and realize their importance in our environment.
INTRODUCTION
Dear Teachers / Group Leaders,
Idaho Botanical Garden is an outdoor learning environment. We want to make
your visit comfortable and enjoyable, and ask that your students are dressed
appropriately for the weather and have water, especially in the warm weather
months.
ABOUT SEEDS
A seed is a package (seed coat) containing a baby plant (embryo) and a food supply (endosperm). Each
student will dissect a seed to see these structures during the garden tour.
There are two classes of seed plants. The gymnosperms, such as the pine, produce “naked seeds” that have
no outer covering. The angiosperms, such as the apple, have a protective covering around the seed called
a fruit. Students will see examples of both gymnosperms (conifers) and angiosperms (flowering plants)
during the garden tour.
The mission of a seed is to grow into a mature plant that produces more seeds. To grow, a seed needs
moisture, air, warmth and sometimes light. When the embryo inside the seed begins to grow, the seed
coat splits and germination occurs. Germination may occur after a long or short sleeping period
(dormancy). An embryonic root appears and grows downward into the soil to become the primary root,
the main root of the plant. Soon a growing shoot appears, and its stem and other leaves, called true leaves,
develop upward. The young shoot and its leaves continue to grow into a mature plant, a process that may
take a few weeks or many years.
Dispersal occurs when a seed travels away from its parent plant into the environment. Dispersal may be a
few inches or many miles. Advantages of dispersal include lessening plant crowding and allowing plants
to have a wide distribution. If something in one area kills all of the plants of that type, others that have
traveled away from the area will survive.
Because of their concentrated food supply of starch, fat and/or protein, seeds are a favorite food of many
animals including man. These are some examples of seeds we eat: wheat, rice, corn, walnuts, beans,
peanuts, coffee, cocoa, nutmeg and other spices. Soybeans are rich in oil and protein while lima beans
contain starch and protein.
SEED TRIVIA
• The largest seed in the world, the coconut, is a long-distance traveler. Coconuts have been known to
float in the ocean for thousands of miles, to germinate in a distant land.
• Some seeds need fire to be released from their cone. One seed found in Idaho will only germinate after
a fire rages over it. It is the seed of a tall, slender pine tree, the lodgepole pine.
• The oldest seeds found are believed to be between 10,000 and 15,000 years old. The seeds of the Arctic
Lupine were found frozen in the Yukon in 1954.
• The smallest seeds are those found in orchids. Four million dust like seeds have been counted in a
single fruit.
• Early settlers used the “fuzz” of the cattail for bedding. It can be used as insulation against cold when
stuffed into boots.
• Cocklebur seeds found within burs are edible. Indians included cocklebur seed in their diet.
• Chocolate is made from the seeds of a cacao, a tropical fruit.
• Over half a million tons of peanut seeds are used to make peanut butter each year.
• Seeds from certain pine trees are delicious nuts that can be found in specialty cooking.
• Processed foods contain many hidden seeds. Seed spices such as mustard, nutmeg, and cumin are
used as flavoring in cooked foods. Poppy and sesame seeds are used as decoration on breads and cakes.
Baked goods contain flours, the ground seeds or fruits of wheat, corn, rye or oats. Pressed seeds or fruits,
such as soy, peanut or sunflower, produce oils.
TERMS
Botanical garden: A place where plants are collected and displayed for scientific, educational and artistic
purposes.
Botany: The study of plants.
Seed: A fertilized plant egg containing a baby plant and its food supply ( a little plant in a box with its
lunch).
Seed coat: The outer layer of the seed.
Embryo: The baby plant within the seed, before germination.
Endosperm: Tissue of the seed containing stored food, found only flowering seed plants.
Gymnosperm: A seed plant producing seeds that have no outer covering.
Angiosperm: A seed plant producing seeds that have an outer covering called a fruit.
Fruit: In angiosperms, the part of the plant containing the seeds.
Germination: The beginning of growth of the plant embryo from the seed.
Dormancy: A condition of stopped growth, sometimes called a resting stage, of seeds and buds.
Primary root: The main root of a plant formed from the root tip of the embryo.
Cotyledon: The seed leaf, or first leaf of the embryo.
Growing shoot: The main above-ground portions, such as the stem and leaves, of a young plant.
Leaf: A plant part that receives light and uses it to produce food for the plant.
Dispersal: Movement of seeds or fruits away from the parent plant.
Environment: The surroundings of a living thing, including the plants and animals with which it lives.
Flower: The reproductive parts of a seed-bearing plant, busy workshops that make the plant’s seeds.
Among the functions of a flower are attraction of pollinating insects, production of pollen, and production
of seeds.
Dr. Christopher Davidson: Founder of the Idaho Botanical Garden, with a doctorate in botany.
SEED ART
Create a name tag to wear on your tour of the Idaho Botanical Garden. Your tour guide will need to know
who you are.
Cut a piece of index paper (file card stock) measuring approximately four inches by three inches. Cut out
one of the pictures below showing a fruit containing its seeds. Color fruit and seeds different colors; paste
the colored picture to your name tag, leaving room for your first name. Write your first name on the name
tag. Use a safety pin to pin on your name tag just before you leave school to go to the Garden.
SEED WORD SEARCH
Circle the key terms. Find them by reading forward, up, down, or diagonally.
The terms:
Seed Endosperm
Seed Coat
Dispersal
Embryo Botany
Germinate
Leaf
Cotyledon
Fruit
SEED PLANTING ACTIVITIES
Line the entire inside of a clear plastic cup with paper towels. Moisten the towels. Fill the cup with soil,
sand or gravel, to keep the towels next to the plastic. Slide seeds between the paper towels and the inside
of the cup. Keep the towels moist, but not soggy. Place in a dark cupboard. Periodically, take out cup to see
the sprouting seeds.
Discover seed in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Plant some of these in potting soil mix to see if they will
grow. Place in a sunny window, keep soil moist. Examples: apple, avocado, bean, corn, peanut, pear, plum,
olive, pea, peach, sunflower seed, tomato.
Plant seeds in potting soil mix that has graduated amounts of fertilizer, increasing it until you have one
with enough to “burn” the plants. Be sure to plant enough seeds to eliminate the possibility of faulty ones.
Plant seeds in different types of soil – some in sand, pumice, alkaline, etc., and see what happens.
Plant seeds in potting soil mix that is very loose, tightly compacted, and in soil that feels about right.
Note the characteristics in growth of the plants in the different soils.
Place seeds in water only. Include a variety such as beans, ivy, avocado, corn. What happens? What if you
just leave them in the water? Will they grow?
THE OLD SOCK DRAG
Most plants produce an abundance of seeds, but only few grow into adult plants. Even fewer seeds would
mature if they weren’t dispersed away from the parent plant. Here’s an activity that will show you how
some of the plants in your area disperse their seeds.
You’ll need a clean, old sock (the fuzzier the better), a pot of potting soil mix (sterile) and a field full of
weeds.
Wear, or drag, the sock through the weeds in the field. If you use one of your parent’s old socks, you might
be able to wear it over your shoes.
Plant the sock in the pot just like it’s a seed. Water it regularly.
Soon you’ll have a weed garden. How many different kinds of seeds did you collect in your sock?
This activity was adapted from the “Seed Dispersal” unit developed by the Outdoor Biology Instructional
Strategies (OBIS) Project. OBIS offers educational activities designed especially for community and school
groups in a variety of outdoor settings.
DO THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES AFTER YOUR VISIT TO THE GARDEN
SEED AND SEEDLING PARTS
Here are several drawings of seeds and seedlings. Study the following parts:
SEEDS
A grocery store is full of seeds people eat. Seeds can be found in the section where spices are displayed and
where vegetables are kept. In addition, a grocery store stocks foods that are made from seeds. Ask your
mom or dad to take you to the grocery store for a seed search.
Make a list of the seeds you found.
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Teacher: Please see answer sheet at end of packet.
SEEDS ANIMALS EAT
Animals also like to eat seeds. Make a list of animals that eat seeds and the seeds they like to eat.
Animal
Seed
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Teacher: Please see answer sheet at end of packet.
SEED STORY OR POEM
Pretend you are a bur, which is a seed in a fruit with hooks, spines, hairs, or sticky covering. Tell the story
of your travels after you became stuck on a bear, dog, cat, rabbit or other animal. Draw a picture to go with
your story.
SEED MATH
How many seeds does one dandelion flower produce?
Find dandelion flowers that have gone to seed. They are white and fluffy. Collect 10, preserving all the
seeds by putting a small plastic bag over the flower and grasping the bag around the flower stem before
removing the dandelion. Ask a classmate to help you count the fruits (or seeds) on each of the 10
dandelions. One fruit is a seed with its parachute, so the number of fruits will equal the number of
seeds. Find the average number of seeds per flower.
Average number of = Total seeds on 10 flowers
Seeds per flower
10 flowers
SEED RESEARCH AND REPORT
Cultivated bananas produce no seeds. Write a report explaining how bananas are raised.
SEED RESEARCH AND REPORT
PURPOSE: To see how far seeds travel. (One fruit is a seed with its wings or parachutes, so the number
of fruits will equal the number of seeds.)
MATERIALS:
tape measure
winged tree seeds: maple or ash (helicopter seed)
chair
fluffy dandelion tops (parachute seed)
Procedure for Helicopter Seed Experiment:
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Stand on a chair and throw a winged seed in the air.
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Measure the distance the seed traveled.
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Record your data: _________________________________________________________
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Throw another seed in the air and measure the distance it traveled.
Record your data__________________________________________________________
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Which seed traveled the farthest?_____________________________________________
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Break the wing off a seed and throw it in the air. How far does a seed travel after the wing is
broken off?________________________________________________________
Procedure for Parachute Seed Experiment:
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Blow on the top of a dandelion fluff.
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Measure how far the seeds traveled.
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Record your data:_________________________________________________________
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Wet a fluffy dandelion top.
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Blow on the wet top.
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How far did the seeds travel?________________________________________________
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When dandelion seeds are scattering, what kind of weather would be best?
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Pretend that you are a seed. Describe how you will travel away from your parent plant?
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Conclusion (What did we do and why?):________________________________________________________
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ANSWERS
Key for “Seed Word Search” activity:
Example of possible answers to “Seeds We Eat” activity:
corn, wheat, oat, pea, bean, sesame, poppy, caraway, coconut, walnut, peanut, nutmeg, coffee, cocoa,
sunflower, rye, rice, mustard, pomegranate, pumpkin
Example of possible answers to “Seed Animals Eat” activity:
bird/sunflower seed, horse/corn, insect/oat, squirrel/acorn
IDAHO COMMON CORE STANDARDS
2nd Grade:
Standard 1: Nature of Science
• Goal 1.2. Objective 1: 2.S.1.2.1
• Goal 1.3. Objective 1: 2.S.1.3.1
• Goal 1.4. Objective 1: 2.S.1.4.1
• Goal 1.5: Objective 1: 2.S.1.4.1
• Goal 1.6: Objective 1: 2.S.1.6.1, Objective 2:2.S.1.6.2, Objective 3: 2.S.1.6.3, Objective 4: 2.S.1.6.4
• Goal 1.7: Objective 1: 2.S.1.7.1
• Goal 1.8: Objective 1: 2.S.1.8.1
Standard 3: Biology
• Goal 3.2: Objective 1: 2.S.3.2.1
3rd Grade:
Standard 1: Nature of Science
• Goal 1.1: Objective 1: 3.S.1.1.1
• Goal 1.2: Objective 1: 3.S.1.2.1, Objective 2: 3.S.1.2.2
• Goal 1.5: Objective 1: 3.S.1.5.1
• Goal 1.6: Objective 1: 3.S.1.6.1, Objective 2: 3.S.1.6.2, Objective 3: 3.S.1.6.3,
Objective 4: 3.S.1.6.4, Objective 5: 3.S.1.6.5, Objective 6: 3.S.1.6.6, Objective 7: 3.S.1.6.7
• Goal 1.8: Objective 1.3.S.1.8.1
Standard 3: Biology
• Goal 3.1: Objective 1: 3.S.3.1.1
• Goal 3.2: Objective 1: 3.S.3.2.1