Seed Saving in the Classroom ~ seedsavers.org

1. 1
Seed Savers Exchange
Fall Lesson Plan:
Seed Saving in the Classroom
Time Consideration:
30-60 min
Grade Level(s):
3-8
Equipment:
Access to water
Information on seed
saving available on SSE
website
2 buckets or watertight
containers
Envelopes or blank seed
packets
Pencils, crayons,
colored pencils, etc
Iowa Benchmark
Science (3-5 and 6-9)
1. Students can
understand and apply
skills used in scientific
inquiry.
A. Students can
understand and apply
the processes and skills
of scientific inquiry.
2. Students can
understand concepts and
relationships in life
science.
B. Students can
understand life cycles.
C. Students can
understand environment.
Background: People have been saving seeds for thousands of years. Many
immigrants from all over the world brought seeds with them to the United
States. These seeds were so important, both culturally and as a source of
food security, that they were carefully hidden in the linings of suit cases, the
brims of hats and the hems of clothing.
The Fall Harvest is the best time to teach students how to save seeds.
Garden vegetables can be brought in from a student’s garden, a school or
local community garden, a farmer’s market or even a grocery store. For a
saved seed to grow true-to-type, or exactly like the parent plant, that seed
must be an open-pollinated or heirloom variety. An optional ‘tag game’
activity explaining the importance of biodiversity in agriculture is included.
Outcomes
Students will understand a plant’s life cycle.
Students will understand both the conditions needed for seed germination
and seed dormancy.
Students will understand the importance of biodiversity in agriculture.
Procedure:
1. Discuss the origins of seeds with students. Their first responses may be
thoughts such as “plants” and “garden centers,” but encourage students
to think about where seeds originated and how they found their way into
our gardens and backyards. This discussion can go two ways: you can
discuss seed dispersal methods (i.e. wind, water, animals, etc), or how
humans have used and moved them. Seeds have been saved and
transported for hundreds of years.
2. Pick a vegetable from which to save seed. Listed below are good
vegetables for seed saving in the classroom. You can find seed
saving information at this link: http://www.seedsavers.org/
Content.aspxsrc=helpful_links.htm#instructions
Tomatoes and Peppers: Most commonly tomatoes and peppers will self-pollinate,
meaning the seed you save will produce a plant just like the
parent. Tomato and pepper seeds are mature when the fruit is ready to
eat. You can get tomatoes from a farmers market or a grocer allowing
students to eat the tomato after they have squeezed the seeds out. If you
can eat your tomato you can save it too!
Beans: Like tomatoes, most commonly, beans will self-pollinate. If
beans are left to dry on the vine, students can easily shell the beans and
store them. Beans vary dramatically in size and color, impressive for
students and adults.

2. 2
Seed Savers Exchange
Fall Lesson Plan:
Seed Saving in the Classroom, cont.
Vocabulary:
Hybrid
Heirloom seed
Pollination
Self-pollination
Cross-pollination
Teacher Tips:
If you are concerned
about growing your seed
for produce, make sure
the seed you save did
not cross pollinator or
come from a hybrid
variety.
If you are interested in
seed saving, consider
purchasing the book
Seed-to-Seed by
Suzanne Ashworth. It is
the most comprehensive
source available for
information on seed
saving, storing, and
starting. This resource is
available from SSE on
our website
www.seedsavers.org or
call 563/382-5990.
Watermelons: These are great fun for students as they get to eat the
watermelon and spit out the seeds. However, watermelons will cross-pollinate
if more than one variety in the same species is grown in one
place. This means the seed saved will be a hybrid and not produce a
plant like the parent. If you are concerned about seed purity, find out if
the seed was grown in isolation to prevent cross-pollination.
Squash: Squash, like watermelons, will cross-pollinate, but they can be
huge and have many seeds. Squash seed saving can be combined with
pumpkin carving or roasting the remaining seeds for a snack.
3. After reading seed saving instructions, gather any equipment needed
(water for rinsing flesh from seeds, paper towels, spoons, etc).
Weather permitting, this is best to do outdoors as it can be messy.
4. Using a Seed Savers Exchange seed packet as an example, have students
design their own seed packet. Packets could include the name of the
variety, a description, and growing directions. Kraft makes blank
seed packets, or blank envelopes work well too.
5. Once seed has thoroughly dried, have students fill seed envelopes. Ask
students to brainstorm where and how seeds should be stored. A
good way tot do that is to have them think of what a seed needs to
germinate (water, light, and heat) and do the opposite (store
somewhere dry and cool) until they are ready to be planted.
Optional Activity: Biodiversity Game
Discuss why biodiversity in agriculture is important. Create a list of reasons
that might include: more options for taste, resistance to pests and disease,
the ability to grow in different climates, or importance to different cultures.
After discussing this, play the Corn Tag game (available at: http://
lifelab.org/pdfs/maize_diversitygame.pdf)
Round 1: Hand out corn necklaces corn side up. Tell students that their
teacher is a corn worm and if touched by the corn worm, they die a dramatic
corn death. At the end of the round, have students take note of how quickly
the corn worm could take out the whole yellow corn population.
Round 2: Have students flip their cards over. Now they are different
varieties of corn. This time if they are tagged by the corn worm they only
die if they are green or yellow. White and red corn will survive. Ask
students to talk about what happened in the different rounds. What would
have happened if there weren’t yellow or green corn? What happens if it
isn’t corn worm but a drought instead?

3. 5
Seed Stories Directions: Seed Savers
Exchange seeds all have unique
stories, travels, and adventures.
Pick a seed story to investigate
and answer the following
questions.
1. Who is your seed story about?
2. What seeds were grown in this person’s garden?
3. What part of the world did these seeds come from? (circle one)
Europe Asia Africa South America North America
4. Why do you think these seeds were picked to grow in the gardens?
5. Can you imagine what the garden looked like? What was around it? How were
the plants and seeds arranged? Draw what you think your character’s garden may
have looked like on the other side of this sheet.
6. What kind of meal would have been cooked with these seeds? Make a recipe
by listing ingredients and cooking directions below:
7. How would this seed have been collected and stored to save to grow for the
next year?