Background information

Learning goals: The aim of this activity is to get children thinking about the diversity of seeds in our world. Children compare and contrast a range of different dried seeds, and then use seeds in craft projects.

Content information: Bees first appeared on Earth at least 80 million years ago. The ancestors of modern bee species lived alongside the dinosaurs - a time when giant pines, cedars, tree ferns and cycads were the main plants and the air swarmed with primitive insects, including oversized dragonflies and giant butterflies. During this time, the first flowering plants (angiosperms) appeared and a more effective way of pollination was needed, other than simply relying on the wind. The challenge was how to increase the chances of pollination and reproduction to ensure the success of future generations. The solution was to attract insects to assist with pollination. Over time flowers evolved a range of advertisements to attract pollinators, including bright colours, strong fragrances, interesting patterns and unusual shapes. They also developed sugar-rich nectar as a reward. Thus began the mutualistic relationship between flowering plants and bees and it was to change the appearance of the Earth forever. Now there are hundreds of thousands of species of flowering plants and they are the most successful land plants on Earth. Scientists have long chalked this up to the relationship between pollinators and their assistance in reproduction.

There are thousands of bee species that live around the world. The European Honey Bee is the best known as it produces honey, beeswax, propolis and royal jelly, which are all used in a range of ways. Interestingly, bees are the only insect that produce food eaten by humans. They are also the only animal that doesn't harm what it eats but actually enhances it.

Australia has 1,600 native bee species. Most of them are solitary and don’t store honey. Only 11 species of social bees make and store small amounts of honey for their own food.

While it is well known that bees produce honey; a lesser-known fact is that most of our other food sources also rely on bees, as conservative figures show that bees pollinate at least ONE mouthful in every THREE that we eat! The production of most fruit, nuts, vegetables, seeds and even livestock feed are dependent on the existence of bees, including Australian native bees.

When living things have relationships with other living things it is called 'symbiosis'. Bees and flowering plants have a mutually beneficial relationship whereby the bees assist with pollination and fertilization of the plant and in return collect nectar and pollen not only for themselves but also to feed their young. Bees have a number of specialised adaptations that make them particularly good at carrying large volumes of pollen. They can visit many flowers before returning to their hive, which increases the success rate of fertilization of the plants. Due to bees being excellent pollinators they play a pivotal role in farming, food production and the health of our ecosystems.

However, bees around the world, including in Australia, are in serious trouble. Overuse of pesticides and herbicides are causing bees to become more vulnerable to disease and pests. Modern agricultural practices and urbanisation are greatly reducing bee habitat and food sources. As a result, scientists are seeing a large decline in bee populations. This poses a threat not only for our food production but our environment as a whole, as flowering plants rely on pollinators to survive.

The good news is we can all do things to help ensure the survival of bees, such as:

Plant ‘bee friendly’ plants in clumps in your garden and let the vegetables flower. Bees love lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme, perennial basil, borage, grevilleas, bottlebrush and tea trees whilst Eucalypts provide pollen and nectar for their food.
Use no pesticides or herbicides in your garden. For ‘bee friendly’ pest management try companion planting.
Before you buy, ask if plants have been treated with pesticides toxic to bees.
Create ‘bee friendly’ garden signs for your front garden to advertise what a ‘bee friendly’ garden is.
Put stones in bird baths to stop bees drowning.
Buy fruit and vegetables that have been locally and sustainably grown.
Buy local honey.
For more information, go to: actforbees.org.

A summary of the issues faced by bees on a global scale is explored in this video:

NATURE | Silence Of The Bees | (https://youtu.be/dIUo3STj6tw?list=PL45E34E4712249C79)

Additional background information:

Ages 0 - 2

Preparation:

Collect a range of dried seeds, such as rice (white, brown and/or black), wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, beans, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin (pepitas), sesame, chia, quinoa, corn. Place the different types of seeds in plastic tubs or clear plastic zip-lock bags and seal with sticky tape (by placing seeds into bags, children will be able to feel the seeds, however, if you think little fingers might be able to poke through the bags then place seeds into plastic tubs). If you find that your supermarket has a limited range of seeds, consider visiting a health food or produce store.
Note: Nuts are also seeds, however given that these have allergy risk, you could share the images in the Nut Visual Explainer if you want to include nuts in your discussion.

Step 1

Begin by displaying the different types of seeds you have collected to children, without telling them what they are looking at. Invite them to respond to the following question:

I wonder what all these things are?

After some time, explain to children that these are all seeds. The different seeds come from different plants; some come from grasses (e.g. wheat, barley and rice), some from bushes (e.g. chickpeas, beans, lentils and quinoa), some from flowers (e.g. sunflowers, poppy and chia) and some from vegetables (e.g. pumpkin and corn).

Allow children some time to look closely at the seeds you have collected, and talk about the seeds using the following questions:

I wonder if this seed is big or small?
I wonder what colour this seed is?
I wonder if this seed looks smooth or rough?

You could spend some time sorting the seeds you have collected according to colour, size or texture.

Step 2

If your seeds are in plastic tubs you could also invite children to shake the tubs and use them as maracas. Children can make their own maracas by taking two milk or juice bottle lids, placing seeds into one lid and taping to the other lid to enclose the seeds. See instructions below:

You can then cover the lids with masking tape and decorate, or tape an ice cream stick to the lids to hold onto.

You could also place seeds in a tambourine, cover the op with plastic wrap and sticky tape it in place. Children can then experiment with 'swishing' the seeds around inside the tambourine. Ensure to supervise children to avoid little fingers poking through the plastic wrap to access seeds.

Provocations

I wonder what all these things are?
I wonder where these seeds come from?
I wonder if this seed is big or small?
I wonder what colour this seed is?
I wonder if this seed looks smooth or rough?
I wonder if we can use these seeds as musical instruments?
I wonder what else we could do with these seeds?

Possible lines of development

Cook some of the seeds for children to try (e.g. beans, lentils and chickpeas). Invite parents to share simple recipes of dishes they cook at home with seeds and where possible, cook these at your centre and share with children.
Sprout some of the seeds and eat them (e.g. beans, lentils and chickpeas). Do this by placing the seeds on a plate of cotton wool and keeping the cotton wool damp, or put a roll of paper in a jar and put bean seeds between the jar and the paper and watch them sprout (beans will happily to grow in this way). Place in the light and watch the first shoots emerge from the seeds. This is called 'germination'.
Place loose seeds in different containers - such as plastic tubs, tin cans and milk cartons - invite children to experiment with how the different seeds sound in different containers. How do they sound when rolled down a paper or plastic tube? How do they sound in a glass jar?
Seeds also come from fruit - use the Seeds in Fruit and Vegetables Flashcards to show seeds in fruit.
Can you find any seeds in your yard? (Look for grass seeds, gum nuts, seedpods or fruit).
Before eating, spend a moment with children discussing where their food has come from, and in particular focus on the parts of the meal that comes from seeds.
Share the following stories about seeds with children: In a Nutshell by Joseph Anthony and Cris Arbo and How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan and Loretta Krupinski.
Find out more about seeds with these activities: Growing Seeds, Seed Walk, Where Can You Find Seeds?

Ages 3 - 5

Preparation:

Collect a range of dried seeds, such as rice (white, brown and/or black), wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, beans, poppy, sunflower, pumpkin (pepitas), sesame, chia, quinoa, corn. If required, place the different types of seeds in plastic tubs or clear plastic zip-lock bags and seal with sticky tape (by placing seeds into bags, children will be able to feel the seeds, however, if you think little fingers might be able to poke through the bags then place seeds into plastic tubs). If you find that your supermarket has a limited range of seeds, consider visiting a health food or produce store.
Note: Nuts are also seeds, however, given that these have an allergy risk, you could share images in the Nut Visual Explainer if you want to include nuts in your discussion.

Step 1

Begin by placing your selection of seeds on the floor and invite children to form a circle around the seeds, without telling children what they are looking at. Invite children to spend some time observing all the seeds, picking them up, feeling them (where possible) and talking about what they are seeing. Use the following questions to guide them:

I wonder what all these things are?
I wonder which of these you have seen before?
I wonder which of these you have eaten?
I wonder what shapes and colours these are?

After some time, explain to children that these are all different types of seeds. Seeds are like eggs - they have a hard case but inside is a baby plant. If the seed is planted in soil and given water and sunlight it might grow a baby plant. Different seeds come from different plants; some come from grasses (e.g. wheat, barley and rice), some from bushes (e.g. chickpeas, beans, lentils and quinoa), some from flowers (e.g. sunflowers, poppy and chia) and some from vegetables (e.g. pumpkin and corn).

Many of the things we eat are seeds:

Some can be eaten just as they are, like sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and poppy seeds.
Some can be soaked and/or cooked, like lentils, chickpeas, beans, barley, chia and quinoa.
Some can be cooked, like corn (popcorn!).
Some can be crushed and made into flour, like wheat and rice.

Step 2

Now explain to children they are going to do one of the following (educators can decide which activity is more appropriate depending on whether children are at risk of consuming seeds):

Children can make musical instruments from the seeds by placing seeds inside tubs and decorating the tubs to make maracas.
Children can create mosaic-style artworks by sticking seeds to paper in patterns or over the top of this template.

Provocations

I wonder what all these things are?
I wonder which of these you have seen before?
I wonder which of these you have eaten?
I wonder what shapes and colours these are?
I wonder where these seeds come from? I wonder if they grow on trees, grasses, flowers or bushes?
I wonder if seeds need to be cooked?
I wonder why seeds are important to our environment?
I wonder how we can use seeds in art and craft activities?

Possible lines of development

Cook or soak some of the seeds for children to try (e.g. beans, lentils and chickpeas). Use the seeds in a salad using other vegetables that have edible seeds, such as tomatoes and cucumbers. Add spices to your food (many spices are also seeds!) and compare uncooked to cooked seeds - do they taste different?
Sprout some of the seeds and eat them (e.g. beans, lentils and chickpeas). Do this by placing the seeds on a plate of cotton wool and keeping the cotton wool damp. Place in the light and watch the first shoots emerge from the seeds. This is called 'germination'. You could also watch this clip: Time Lapse Video Germination of Seed.
Can you find any seeds in your yard? (Look for grass seeds, gum nuts, seedpods or fruit). You can take photos of these seeds and make a poster and/or map of these seeds so you can visit these plants at different times of the year to see how the plants change.
Before eating, spend a moment with children discussing where their food has come from, and in particular focus on the parts of the meal that comes from seeds.
Sorghum can be used as a substitute for sand play - invite students to reflect on the ways it is similar or different to sand.
Find out more about seeds with these activities: Growing Seeds, Seed Walk, Where Can You Find Seeds?

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenges and persisting when difficulties arise
Wellbeing	Being involved

Embedding into daily practice

Where possible, buy heirloom seed varieties for your veggie beds - these can taste better than hybrid varieties but you can also collect the seeds from heirloom veggies to use in your garden the next year. Many hybrid varieties don't develop seeds that can be grown into productive plants.
Indoor plants improve indoor air quality but can also help to reduce stress and improve mental health by making us feel more secure and relaxed. You could involve children in the tending and watering of indoor plants by creating a watering roster.
Birds love seeds but artificial feeding stations for birds can transmit diseases. So instead, consider planting bushes and grasses with seeds that will appeal to your local bird species.

Comparing Seeds

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