Kids love nature — it’s… well, in their nature!
But it’s also really important for them to learn as much about it as possible. It fuels their creativity, eases anxiety and stress, and boosts their brain power.
That’s why, parents, you shouldn’t be surprised if your child’s teacher assigns a plant-themed Show and Tell day to encourage a love for the outdoors.
But I know how it is… when your young kids get an assignment like this, you’re often the one who has to do a bunch of the work. Have no fear!
Discover the magic of the outdoors again with these Show and Tell plant ideas!
- Family House Plant
- Leaf Collection
- Flower Diagram
- Flower Bouquet
- Investigating Seeds
- Weed or Flower?
- Plant Book
- Plant Life Cycle Diagram
Let’s take a closer look at each of these Show and Tell ideas and how your child can blow their class away with expert presentation.
Family House Plant
If you or someone in your family has a green thumb and you already have house plants, your child could (carefully) bring in one small plant to show his or her class.
You could talk with your child about the name of the plant, how much sun the plant needs, how often it gets watered, when you prune it back, and any other relevant details.
Your child can then relay this information to the class.
Better yet, let your child take over the care of the plant for a week or so, so he or she has firsthand experience.
Leaf Collection
Trees are plants, too!
Kids exposed to fall conditions tend to naturally gather the leaves that collect in your yard (and maybe throw them up in the air a time or two).
Have your child pick out her favorite ones and he or she can talk about them in class. Depending on how many your child collects, he or she could give one of each to her classmates.
Alternatively, you could tape one leaf to a piece of paper and label all the different parts, the stem, veins, talk about how the leaf grows, and what happens before it falls.
Flower Diagram
One of the classic first drawings a kid draws is a landscape of a sun, sky, grass, and trees or a plant.
Have your child create this scene and add dirt under the grass, roots, maybe a seed, a rain cloud, and label everything.
In class, your child will talk about all the elements needed for a flower to grow: how it needs the sun to shine on it, water from rain, nutrients from the soil, and so on.
Alternatively, your child could draw a flower and label the parts: stem, petals, roots, and more.
Flower Bouquet
Another thing little kids love to do on walks, without prompting, is to pick flowers and give them to their parents.
Capitalize on this instinct by using it for their Plant Show and Tell day.
Go somewhere where there are lots of wild flowers to pick, stick them in a cup or jar of water, and carefully send them with your child to school.
They can put their flowers on display and tell them where they came from, and why they need to be put in water to survive.
In the dead of winter, you could opt to pick a bouquet from the store, and give them to the teacher after the presentation!
Investigating Seeds
If you have your own garden, chances are you have some leftover seeds laying around.
Lay them out for your child to pick from.
You can use clear tape to stick them to a piece of colorful paper and label the seeds. Present this paper to the class.
Or, you can try this: turn it into a game by taking a picture of each seed and making a slideshow.
Your child can go through the slideshow and have the students guess what kind of seed it is, and what grows from it.
Weed or Flower?
Another game-themed Plant Show and Tell idea is to go on a walk with your child, taking pictures of different weeds and flowers.
Go home and research each picture to depict whether it is a flower or a weed.
You can simply Google search the plant characteristics, or use a tool like Go Botony to identify the plant.
After that, put all of your pictures on to a slideshow and have your child present it to the class. He or she can ask the class, weed or flower?
They will have a ton of fun trying to figure it out together.
Plant Book
There are tons of books out there telling the stories of seeds, plants, and flowers.
Apples for Everyone by Jill Esbaum tells the story of an apple seed growing into a tree and producing apples for all.
Flower Garden by Eve Bunting describes what it’s like to plant flowers in an urban setting.
For a more informative book, check out How a Seed Grows by Helene Jordan.
These are just a few titles. Check them out online, at your local bookstore or library.
If your child is able, he or she can read the book to the class, or ask the teacher to read it for them.
You and your child can come up with some follow up questions he or she can ask the class after they are done.
Plant Life Cycle
A fascinating thing to study at any age is how a seed grows.
This phenomenon of science will wow your child and their classmates.
This can be presented many different ways. First, you could find a free worksheet or activity online for your child to color and fill out.
He or she can then present the worksheet to the class and explain the different life stages of a plant.
Alternatively, search online for a video your child can show the class explaining the life cycle of a plant, and come up with some follow up questions he or she can ask the class after it’s done.
Wrapping Up
Plants are essential to our everyday lives, so it’s no wonder your child’s teacher assigned a plant-themed Show and Tell.
If your child is nervous, encourage them that they will do great, and make sure to equip them with lots of practice beforehand.
That way, they will be confident when it comes to presenting time.
For more themed Show and Tell ideas, check out:
- Recycling Show and Tell
- Opposites Show and Tell
- 5 Senses Show and Tell
- Musical instruments Show and Tell
- Animals and pets Show and Tell
Have fun!