Basic Needs of Plants
Introduction (15 minutes)
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Nutrients (food)
Water
Sunlight
Air
Space
Food: Plants, like animals, need food to survive. Plants get nutrients from soil, just like you get nutrients
from the food you eat. Plants are also special because they can make their own food, through a process
called photosynthesis! Plants have a special pigment called clorophyll, which captures sunlight. Using
sunlight and water, plants make their own food. In photosynthesis, when plants take in carbon dioxide,
they let out oxygen, which is what we breathe. This is how we always have fresh air.
Water: Plants, like animals, are made mostly of water. What happens to a plant on a hot day, or when it
doesn’t have enough water? It wilts! Plants can actually close the openings on their leaves to keep water
inside. Plants also use water to make their own food!
Air: Plants “breathe” in CO2 and “breathe” out oxygen through openings in their leaves. Their roots
breathe the way we do—they take in oxygen for respiration, which is the break down of sugars into
energy. At night when there is no light, plants stop photosynthesizing (making sugars from light) and
their leaves start respiration; or using up the sugars they stored during the sunny part of the day. In
lakes and oceans, plants generally get plenty of CO2, which they use to make oxygen.
Sunlight: Plants use sunlight to make their food source. This helps them to grow and to make more
plants.
Space: All plants need soil, but not all plants need soil to survive—although many plants get nutrients
from the soil, they can survive if they get nutrients elsewhere. They just need some medium to deliver
water and nutrients and provide stability. Different plants need different amounts of space (tree vs.
dandelion).
Plants also need space so they can pollinate to make more seeds, and thus more plants. Pollinators (like
bees and butterflies) and seed dispersers (like birds) can help plants make more plants.
Life Cycle of a Plant and Theatre Activity (15 minutes)
Plants have a life cycle, just like animals. Review the different stage of the life cycle with students:
Plants start out as seeds. With their basic needs met, the seed germinates. As time goes on, the sprout
grows roots and shoots. As the plants grows taller and becomes more established, it grows leaves and
fruit (the fruit isn’t always like the fruit we eat—it can be an acorn or a pod of seeds). This helps the
plant make food and gives energy to its fruit. The plant eventually drops its fruit (or animals disperse the
seeds). The plant eventually dies and provides the soil with nutrients, which the seeds can grown in to
start the life cycle again.
The students can become plants themselves and live through the life cycle. They will need to spread out in
the room so they have enough space. Mention the basic needs of plants with respect to their life cycle.
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Become a seed: Ask students: how are trees born? (from a seed). Students curl up in a tight ball to
become a seed.
The seed germinates, and a small part of the plant breaks through the outer part of the seed (stick out
one leg)
Become a sprout: Ask students: what happens to a germinated seed? (it sprouts). Start to slowly uncurl
yourself. Stand on your knees.
Grow branches: Ask students: what are the parts of trees that leaves are attached to? (branches). Slowly
stick out one arm with your fist clenched so you’ve grown one branch. Stick out another arm. Your tree
now has two branches.
Grow taller: Stand up tall putting your feet together. Your tree is growing taller and older.
Grow leaves: Wiggle your fingers to represent leaves. Rub fingers together—listen to the leaves.
Grow fruit: Spread out your hands to hold fruit. The fruit holds the seeds to make more plants.
Spread your roots: Spread feet apart. Now your tree has lots of roots. Wiggle your toes—you grow lots
of little roots.
Sway with the breeze: Hold arms up and gently move and sway arms side to side.
Get attacked by insects: Scratch all over as insects attack you.
Get struck by lightning: Bang—a bolt of lightning strikes a branch. Everyone loses a branch (one arm to
the side).
Get pecked by woodpeckers: Make a hammering sound and shake. woodpeckers peck into your dead
wood. Another branch falls off. (Put another arm down.)
Get blown over in a storm: Make a creaking noise, lean to side and fall to the ground. You blow down in
a storm.
New seed sprouts: Gradually raise one arm. A new seed from the fruit slowly sprouts from your old
rotting wood.
Make bean necklaces (10 minutes):
1. To begin, gather an unbleached cotton ball, a
piece of ribbon or string, a small sealable plastic bag, and a
bean for growing in the garden.
2. Wet your wool or cotton, place your bean in the
center, and wrap the wool/cotton tightly around it.
3. Place it into the plastic bag, remove the air and
seal. Punch a hole in the top of the bag, and tie it around
the students’ necks. In about two days, the bean will
sprout and can be planted in the garden.