Welcome to your Garden Kit!
Check out what’s inside.
Wait to receive instructions from your garden teacher. Here are some possible activities:
Garden Kit Materials
4 Sugar Snap Pea Seeds
4 Fava Bean Seeds
1 Bag of Soil
3 Biodegradable Pots
1 Pencil
1 Paper Bag
2 Plastic bag
1 Science Journal OR 1 Hand Lens
Activity Instructions
1. Planting your Seeds
a. Fill a pot with soil.
b. Dig a small hole with one or two fingers.
c. Place 1 seed in the hole & cover with soil.
d. Give the seed water and light.
e. Watch it grow and make observations.
2. Seed Dissection
a. Soak a Fava Bean seed in water overnight
b. Open the Fava Bean and split in half
c. Can you find all 4 parts of a seed from this video:
3. Seed Sprouting
a. Use your small plastic bag from your kit.
b. Get a paper towel wet.
c. Wrap 2-3 seeds in the paper towel and put inside the plastic bag.
d. Tape the bag to a sunny window.
e. Observe your seeds sprout.
4. Decomposition Experiment
a. Find 3 pieces of waste.
b. Place them in the large plastic bag with soil.
c. Close the bag and watch the waste decompose over time.
d. Observe what happens.
e. Check out this video to set up your decomposition experiment:
f. Analyze your results with this one:
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Ideas for connecting to nature
Visit the SF Botanical Garden
Free for SF residents! The Botanical Garden is a living museum with more than 8,000 different kinds of plants from around the world.
Attend Bean Sprouts Family Days
Dig, water, pick, build, explore, and investigate in the SF Botanical Garden’s space for kids!
Try the Redwood Grove Treasure Hunt
Look, smell, touch and feel your way through the SF Botanical Garden forest.
Take a Hike
@ SF Rec & Park
Explore a National Park
Free park passes for 4th and 5th graders and their families
Even more ideas!
Local and virtual resources
Your Garden Kit was provided by SEI’s Climate Corps Education Outside program in collaboration with the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, San Francisco Recreation and Parks, and SF Children & Nature.