Adaptive Seedstarting Methods

Author: Sarah Pounders

Overview

Here are suggestions for planning a basic gardening activity when working with students with special needs, and links to related lessons.

Objective: students learn about plant life cycles and propagation through hands-on seedstarting activities.

Background

For details on the botany and biology of seeds, methods for starting them, and some inquiries to pursue, see:

Seed Propagation
Thinking Like a Seed
Gardeners: Start Your Seeds!

Laying the Groundwork

Ask students, Where do new plants come from? How are seeds made? What makes a seed sprout and grow?

Introduce them to seed basics using the background information links above. (Thinking Like a Seed includes helpful questions to spur student inquiry.)

Exploration

It's always important to give children the opportunity to perform tasks themselves. The following instructions for starting seeds with your class include suggestions for adaptations to use when working with students with special needs.

1. Use fast-growing seeds. Rapid germination is important when working with young students and those with short attention spans. Bean, radish, zinnia, and marigold seeds are all very easy to plant and quick to germinate. Fast Plant seeds are another option, but these seeds are very small and may be a challenge for some students to manipulate. If you’re working with students who have trouble with fine motor skills and hand control, use the biggest seeds you can find, such as beans.

Adaptations: If larger seeds aren’t an option, here are some other methods and products to help you work with small seeds.

Make seed tapes. Seed tapes are simply seeds glued to a thin strip of biodegradable paper. You can buy pre-made seed tapes or make your own with a cornstarch gel and some paper towels. Here's how.

Shake seed from empty spice and herb containers with shaker tops. Add a mixture of seeds and some sand to the containers (sand helps distribute the seeds more evenly). Students simply shake out the seeds to sow them.

Use a commercial seed dispenser. A number of companies sell seed dispensers, which are small, hand-held tools designed to help you plant small seeds (example at right). Generally, they have a place for you to load your seed and then a trigger mechanism that allows you to dispense one or two seeds at a time.

Use SeedBallz. SeedBallz is a commercial product that encapsulates seed in spheres of a clay/sand mixture, making small seed easier to handle.

2. Collect planting containers. You can use many different products as containers for starting seeds. You can purchase pots or seed trays or you can reuse household items such as egg or milk cartons, plastic “clamshell” containers like those that hold take-out salads or cookies, and plastic or paper cups. Generally, containers should be deep enough to hold 2 to 3 inches of soil. Punch holes in the bottom for drainage so the soil drains easily and doesn't get soggy.

If your students have trouble with hand control, choose containers that are heavier and more stable, such as a seedling flats (see example, right). They also provide a larger planting target than most pots. If necessary, you can secure seed trays to a table using rubber bands or clamps. Clay pots are heavy, but if they break the sharp edges can be a hazard.

3. Prepare your potting soil. Buy a lightweight potting soil mix from the store. (Soil from outside can contain microbes and pests that hinder plant growth.) Put a few scoops of dry potting soil into the mixing bin using a small trowel or large spoon. Next add a little water to the soil and mix it up. Squeeze a handful of the soil; if water drips out, add more soil because it is too wet. If the soil doesn't clump, add more water. When you're done, your soil should feel like a wet sponge that does not drip.

This is a great activity for student participation. Although it’s more time consuming, preparing the soil in small batches allows more students to share in the experience. Mixing the soil engages their senses and helps maintain the interest of students with short attention spans.

To adapt for children who have trouble with hand control, add wrist straps to trowels or spoons. If the weight of the water or control over water dispersal is an issue, use small watering cans or spray bottles.

4. Fill the containers. Again, students can use their hands, trowels, spoons, or adapted equipment depending on what works best for them to fill seed starting containers.

5. Plant seeds. Demonstrate the proper depth and spacing for students, and then let them sow seeds. Don't rush this stage of the activity; let each child work at his or her own pace.

6. Find a "home" for planted containers. Place flats and pots in a warm location and keep the soil evenly moist. A warm and sunny window works well, although intense sun may dry the soil too quickly. If possible, pick a location where students can observe their pots at any time of day.

7. Check on seeds daily. Have students check soil moisture. If soil starts to feel dry, have students add more water using a spray bottle. In a few days the seeds should start to grow and the students can begin tracking growth using rulers and keeping records in written or pictorial journals. Daily attention increases students' attachment to the seeds and plants. It also gives them a strong visual experience of the germination process.

Branching Out

Try out these related lessons to build on your seed sowing activity:

Seed Planting Depth Experiment
Journey to the Center of a Seed

 

 

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