OBJECTIVE

Students will return to exploring sunflowers, this time planting them in the garden and building a sunflower house!

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

Where do flowers come from? Why are sunflowers important in the garden? How do sunflowers help us?How can we help sunflowers?

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Sunflower House, by Eve Bunting
• Sunflower seeds
• Sunflower head, with seeds for students to pull out (if possible)
• Watering cans

PROCEDURE

Introduction:
Ask students if they remember working with sunflowers way back in the fall. Ask students to share some of the things we learned about sunflowers.
In circle, read Sunflower House, and ask the students to share what they think make sunflowers special. What do sunflowers need to grow? Why do they make a good house? What part of the plant is the golden roof? What part of the plant is the walls? What kinds of things can we do in a sunflower house?

Activity:
Explain to the students that we are going to be building our own sunflower house! Ask students where they think we could get our sunflower seeds (show students the sunflower head, if available, and remind them that the sunflowers we observed in the fall came from the sunflower house that last year’s Kindergarten class planted!)
Invite students to pick out a seed from the sunflower head and observe the seed. What does the seed need to grow? How can we make sure our sunflowers grow into a house?
Bring students to the sunflower circle, and ask each student to find a spot around the circle. Ask students to make a hole (or 2 or 3) with their finger, and place their sunflower seed in the hole. Students may cover up the seeds. Then pass around the watering can and have each student water their seed(s).

Wrap Up/Assessment:
Before students leave the sunflower circle, ask students how tall they think the sunflower will grow? How long will it take to grow? What will it look like when it grows?

FOLLOW UP & EXTENSIONS

Observations, measuring