Preschool Nature Activities: Seeds and Compost in Class

Hello dear friends. 🌱 In this post I would like to tell you about the seed work we do with little ones at schools. At one of our school workshops, a big banner hung on the wall: “Little hands meet the soil, heirloom seeds meet life.” On the table, the cucumber, tomato, pepper and chard seeds each had their own jar. The children picked the seeds up with their fingers and sowed them one by one into the trays. The watering, with a small pink watering can, was their job too.

We also planted seedlings in the wooden raised beds of the school garden. The children carried their seedlings in their hands and placed them in the soil with such care. It was a cheerful, curious, joyful day.

You do not need a big garden for nature activities in preschool. A tray of soil, a few large seeds and a little patience are enough. I gathered the steps that work best in these workshops, in a form teachers can use in their own classroom, wherever it is. How do you make room for nature in your classroom?

1. Getting to know the seed

First we hold the seed. We smell it, look at its size and colour, and guess which vegetable it belongs to. Large seeds such as squash, beans and peas are easier for small hands. If you put the vegetable itself on the table too, the children make the connection at once.

2. Sowing in trays and sprouting

We fill trays or small pots with soil, and each child sows their own seed. Writing their name on the pot builds a sense of ownership. Checking the soil with a finger every day and adding a little water when it is dry is a lovely responsibility for children. On the day the sprout appears, you can hold a small celebration in class.

To make sprouting visible, try the classic bean in a jar experiment. Line the inside of a jar with a damp paper towel and slip a bean between the glass and the paper. The children can watch the root and the shoot come out through the glass.

3. A mini compost in the classroom

The easiest way to explain compost is to show it. In a clear container with a lid, we layer soil, dry leaves and fruit and vegetable peels. Over the weeks we watch together how it changes. We do not add meat, dairy or oily food. Keeping the container in a well aired corner makes things easier.

Points we keep in mind

• Small seeds can go into mouths. With the youngest groups we choose large seeds and watch closely.
• Everyone washes their hands after working with soil and compost.
• It is good to talk with families in advance about seeds and plants for children with allergies.
• Keeping the activity short for the age group keeps attention alive.

Let us do it together at your school

Opening the activity with a story gathers children’s attention easily. In the Şifa Köyü book series, the heroes are the real people and vegetables of the farm. At schools we first read together, then put the seed trays on the table. The set also has an English edition, A Year Full of Surprises in Şifa Köyü. The shop is in Turkish and delivers within Turkey.

If you teach in Istanbul and would like to do these activities together, I can come to your school; a garden or a classroom is enough. We talk about materials with the school, and sometimes the school provides soil and trays itself. You can also bring your class to Şifa Köyü, our organic farm in Şile on the Black Sea coast of Istanbul. There the day holds a greenhouse walk, seed sowing and painting under the pergola. This work is not only for the little ones; we do an age-adapted version with middle school, high school and university students too. Write to us and let us plan the programme together.

I would be so happy if you shared a photo of the first sprout in your classroom with me. Every moment little hands meet the soil is a big joy. 💛

Children’s Workshops →

Şifa Köyü shop: books (in Turkish) →

Why heirloom seeds matter →

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