1. “April showers bring May flowers” is a common phrase — why do you think that is? If April showers means rain, what does that tell us about what living things like plants and flowers need to grow?
2. How do plants “drink” water? What part of plants (like trees and flowers) helps them get the water and nutrients that they need? What else do plants need to survive and grow?
3. What are different ways that plants are helpful to animals?
4. Why do you think many plants wait until springtime to start growing?
5. Why do plants need the sun?
6. How can we tell that a tree is growing new leaves?

Young children love to explore living things like plants. Talk with your child about different plant parts that they know and what they are called (like tree trunks and flower petals). Ask them how they would describe characteristics of familiar plants (like color, size and shape). Are all plants the same? As you and your child explore the plant life around your home and in the community, you can also talk about what plants need to grow. Support this understanding by exploring seeds and plant growth while building observation skills with this hands-on garden activity and then track plant growth with the Nature Cat plant journal.

Kids this age are deepening their understanding of the needs of plants and the plant life cycle. (For example, they recognize that new plants need many things to grow and survive including sunshine, water, and important nutrients in soil.) At this age, children also have an increasing appreciation for the diversity and variation in the plant world. They notice that there are different types of plants and that some plants can be helpful to animals (including humans) in different ways — even as food! Bring the great outdoors inside by making a DIY terrarium together or get your hands dirty by growing vegetable plant seedlings in an egg carton.