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Science

How Seeds Travel

Overview

Children examine a range of seeds and discover the clever ways they travel away from the parent plant to grow in new places.

Learning Objective
Children understand that seeds are dispersed in different ways and can match seeds to their method of dispersal.

Resources needed

  • A collection of seeds: fluffy seeds such as dandelion, winged seeds, sticky seeds, heavy seeds, berries

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Ask: why do seeds need to travel away from the parent plant?
  2. 2 Examine each seed closely — what do you notice about its shape?
  3. 3 Introduce the four methods: wind, water, animals (eaten or stuck), and self-dispersal (pods that explode).
  4. 4 Match each seed to its dispersal method and explain the connection.
  5. 5 Test: drop a winged seed from head height — observe how it spins.
  6. 6 Go outside and find seeds — classify them by dispersal method.
  7. 7 Ask: which dispersal method do you think is most effective? Why?

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Make a model 'wind seed' from paper — test different designs.
  • Count how many seeds are in one apple vs one coconut — discuss the tradeoff.
  • Track where seeds land relative to the parent plant — is distance an advantage?
More information

Teach: dispersal, germinate, seed, wind, water, animal, pod, adapted. The shape of the seed is the clue to its dispersal method — help children make this connection explicitly.

Focus on two contrasting methods — wind and animal — before introducing all four.

Can children correctly match at least three seed types to their dispersal method? Can they explain how the seed's shape helps it travel?

Collect seeds from outside — they are everywhere. Different local plant species will demonstrate most dispersal methods. No purchased materials needed.

Children often think seeds that animals eat are destroyed. Seeds eaten in fruit often pass through animals undigested and are deposited — with fertiliser — far from the parent plant.

Seed dispersal shows natural selection in action — seeds that spread further have more offspring. It connects plant biology to the broader concept of evolution and adaptation.

Activity details
Primary Medium 20–25 minutes 5 minutes prep Small Group, Whole Class Outdoor
Topics
Seed Dispersal Plant Reproduction Adaptation