What Do Plants Need to Survive?
I’m not a plant person. I’m just not. I know in my head what plants need to survive, but I just can’t seem to put it into practice. In my living room I have a single IKEA potted plant that, by some miracle, has survived over the years. But it’s the only plant I’ve been able to keep alive for more than a few months. My thumb is not green. But my classrooms? Those are a different story. It turns out with the help of 25-30 8-year-olds I’m practically Joanna Gaines.
What do plants need to survive? Activities and experiments for elementary science. Picture: orange and yellow tulips.
It turns out that third graders absolutely love tending to plants. And there’s really no better way to explore what plants need to survive than actually planting and growing them. It’s one of the cheapest hands-on science projects that we do.
What do plants need to survive?
To survive, all plants need sunlight, water, air, food (nutrients from good soil), and the right temperature . However, I rarely give students this information at the start of our plant study. Growing plants is such a straightforward inquiry opportunity. We start with the guiding question “What do we think plants need to survive” and then jump off from there.
Plants Inquiry
I am a HUGE fan of inquiry-based learning, and plant survival is a great topic for guided or student-led inquiry. This inquiry-based science blog breaks down HOW we use inquiry in a plant unit. I love seeing the questions students have about plants and plant growth.
Growing Plants in the Classroom
It’s surprisingly easy (and inexpensive!) to grow plants in the classroom, and it’s always a big hit! Tip: do the planting outside on the field or basketball court. The planting process can get a little dirty!
Things you’ll need:
Soil (I grab a few bags of potting soil from Home Depot)
Clear plastic cups
Seeds (Beans and sunflowers work great!)
A water spray bottle
A student writes down observations about how their bean plant is growing.
Give each student a clear plastic cup. Clear works best because it allows students to observe root growth. Fill the cup 4/5 full with soil and pat down. Create a small hole in the top of the soil. I’ve always just had students poke their finger in to create this! Insert the seed and cover it up.
For watering, use a spray bottle. It’s easy to over-water such a small cup of soil, so I try to encourage students to water the plants with 4-5 ‘sprays’ of water. Then, set the cups near a window.
No windows in your classroom? Try taking your plants for a walk, setting them outside for the day, and bringing them back in before the end of the day.
Use a plant observation journal (like the one here) to record observations as the plants grow. It can be found in my Plant Growth and Changes unit (which also includes 3 more plant-related experiments!)
Reading about what plants need to survive
This set of nonfiction reading passages “What Do Plants Need to Survive?” is a great way to integrate informational text and reading skills into a science unit… plus it’s differentiated. Choose from two levels of informational text and two levels of reading comprehension.
Experiment: Why do plants need sunlight?
One of my favorite experiments to teach about plant needs is a simple whole-class experiment that can be done while you are growing your own plants in the classroom.
For this experiment, you’ll need two identical classroom plants (I always grow beans). I set up this experiment while our class is growing beans together. Set aside 2 plants in your classroom. Give identical amounts of soil, water, and seeds from the same packet. Place one plant near the window, and place a paper bag over the other plant. Care for each plant identically. As the plants grow, observe what happens to the plant without direct sunlight. The teaching instructions and student observation journals can be found here!
