How does a seed become a plant?
Quick answer from Eartha
A seed wakes up when it gets water, warmth and a cosy spot in soil. This waking up is called germination. First a little root pushes down, then a shoot pushes up towards the light. Slowly it grows leaves, and with sunlight and water, it keeps growing bigger and bigger.
The longer story
Inside every seed is a tiny sleeping plant, curled up with a small store of food to get it started. It waits until conditions are just right before it wakes up.
When a seed gets enough water and warmth, it begins to germinate. A small root, called a radicle, pushes down into the soil first to anchor the plant and start drinking water.
Next, a shoot pushes upward, bending around soil and rocks until it reaches sunlight. Some seedlings can push through soil in less than two weeks, though this varies a lot between plants.
Once the shoot reaches light, tiny leaves unfurl and start making food through photosynthesis. From here, the young plant keeps growing taller, using sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil.
Try this at home: bean in a jar
- Line a clear jar with damp paper towel and tuck a bean seed against the glass.
- Keep the paper towel damp and the jar somewhere warm.
- Check it each day and watch the root and shoot appear.
Words to know
- Germination
- When a seed wakes up and starts to grow.
- Radicle
- The very first root that grows out of a seed.
- Seedling
- A very young plant that has just grown from a seed.
For grown-ups: what is my child learning here?
Age band: 5-8
Curriculum link: Australian Curriculum v9 Science, AC9S1U01
The concept: Living things grow and change through observable stages, such as germination and seedling growth.
More classroom ideas are on our teachers page, and safety notes for families are on for parents.
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