What happens to seeds that don’t sprout? Fortunately, they have Miss Maple to look after them. Every year, she rescues orphan seeds, taking them to her cozy maple tree house. All winter long, she nurtures them and teaches them the ways of seeds and the paths by which they might find their new homes. And come spring, she sends them off to take root out in the wide world and to sprout into the wonderful plants she knows they’ll become.
WATCH and LISTEN to Miss Maple’s Seeds by Eliza Wheeler read for Brightly Storytime:
ACTION SONG: The Seeds Grow (tune: Farmer in the Dell)
The gardener plants the seeds,
The gardener plants the seeds,
Deep down inside the ground,
The gardener plants the seeds.
The rain clouds give them water,
The rain clouds give them water,
Seeds need water for a drink,
The rain clouds give them water.
The sun gives heat and light,
The sun gives heat and light,
Seeds like it warm and bright,
The sun gives heat and light.
The gardener pulls the weeds,
The gardener pulls the weeds,
Seeds need the room to grow,
The gardener pulls the weeds.
The seeds grow into plants,
The seeds grow into plants,
Beans and corn and cauliflower,
and lots of other foods.
ACTION SONG: Garden Planting Time (tune: Row, Row, Row Your Boat)
Dig, dig, dig the earth, (make digging motion)
Then you plant your seeds. (pretend to drop seeds)
A gentle rain, (flutter fingers down)
Will help your flowers grow. (flutter fingers up)
COLOR: Find coloring sheets on the author’s website.
EXTEND LEARNING:
- Go outside and have a seed search, and then identify the seeds and plants you find! You can also do this search indoors: check your pantry and fridge for corn, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, pecans, peanuts, cashews, sugar snap peas, cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, grapes, kiwi, berries, zucchini. Some of these are seeds, and all of them come from seeds!
- Regrow Vegetables: Some vegetable scraps such as carrot tops, scallions, and celery (base) can be regrown by placing them in water. Put each vegetable in a small bowl or container, add a small amount of water and put in a location where the vegetable will get plenty of natural light. Invite children to predict, observe and record what happens through drawing and writing.
- Click here to learn how to create a seed viewer.
- Dandelion and cattail seeds fly with structures that are like tiny parachutes. If you are interested, click here and try investigating parachutes.
NASA has a page on maple seed (helicopters!) aeronautics or you could try to make a “whirling wonder”.
FIND MORE BOOKS IN OVERDRIVE:
- A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Hutts Aston
- From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
- The Bad Seed by Jory John