Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds History, Geography, & Extras for Your Family-Style Unit Study
These Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds history lessons & activities are perfect for homeschooling families who learn together. This section of the Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds Unit Study adds in history, music, sensory, & family fun to your family’s gardening & seeds unit study.
Did you know that G.W. Carver came up with around 300 ways to use a peanut? And he is usually credited with “inventing” peanut butter, but that is not one of the ways he created. Uncover the fascinating history of seed scientists like Mendel and George Washington Carver with these Gardening and Seeds History lessons and activities!
The Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds History & Extras family-style lessons have 3 main levels of difficulty to help you meet your child at the level they are currently working, instead of some arbitrary grade level.
The Early Learners lessons are generally for learners working at a Preschool, Kindergarten, or 1st & 2nd grade level.
The Upper Elementary lessons are generally for learners working at 3rd to 5th grade levels.
The Middle to High School lessons are generally for learners working at a 6th to 12 grade levels.
Feel free to mix and match with the lessons and activities for the three different levels to find activities that best suit your children and their individual learning styles.
Don’t forget to check out the Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds Unit Study Language Arts and STEAM sections, too!
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Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds History
George Washington Carver began life as the son of a slave. His mother disappeared and he was raised by the Carver family. He was very sick as a child, so he spent most of his time playing quietly in the house and garden. He quickly became known as a child who knew all about plants and how to get them to grow well.
Carver grew up to be a devout Christian who believed that all living things had been created for a purpose, and he loved to solve the mystery of plants’ purposes and to discover new ways of using those plants. This is the prayer that he prayed for all of the people that came into his life.
May God ever bless, keep, guide, and continue to prosper you in your uplifting work for humanity, be it great or small, is my prayer. And may those whom He has redeemed learn to walk and talk with Him, not only daily and hourly, but momently, through the things that He has created.
George Washington Carver
Learn more about Carver and his amazing life’s work with these book suggestions. Then download the free printable Dr. Carver Report pages from the Free Resource Library.
Early Learners
Read one of these books to learn more about Carver’s amazing life and his dedication to his work.
A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver by ALIKI. Carver often said that a weed is just a flower growing in the wrong place.
In the Garden with Dr. Carver by Susan Grigsby and illustrated by Nicole Tadgell is told from the perspective of a young girl whose community is visited and educated by Dr. Carver. Scroll down on this page from the publisher for coloring pages and a teacher’s guide.
A Man For All Seasons: The Life of George Washington Carver by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Wil Clay
Don’t forget the free printable Dr. Carver Inventions Report for Early Learners in the Free Resource Library.
Upper Elementary and Middle School Learners
A Picture Book of George Washington Carver by David A. Adler and illustrated by Dan Brown Although this is a “picture book” I’d recommend it for older elementary students (and not preschoolers!) because of a terrible and violent act that he witnessed, which is discussed on one page in the book.
The Story of George Washington Carver by Eva Moore and Alexander Anderson An easy-to-read (around 3rd grade level) biography written in a story form.
Heroes of History: George Washington Carver From Slave to Scientist by Janet and Geoff Benge Be sure to get the book by the Benges as there is another book with the same name by a different author. Excellent book, highly recommend the audiobook version.
Download the free printable Dr. Carver Inventions Report for Upper Elementary Learners from the Free Resource Library.
High School Learners
George Washington Carver: Man’s Slave Becomes God’s Scientist by David Collins. Don’t skip this one; it’s very well researched and written.
Assignment: Learn about one of Dr. Carver’s inventions or discoveries. Use the free printable Dr. Carver Inventions Report for Middle & High School Learners in the Free Resource Library.
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Family-Style Gardening Unit Study Bundle (Discoveries with Seeds)Original price was: $25.00.$15.00Current price is: $15.00.
Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds Music
Early Learners
Learn the lyrics and hand motions to this The Curious Garden song, which is a collaboration between singer/songwriter Emily Arrow and author Peter Brown. Grab your own copy of the book, The Curious Garden.
Upper Elementary to High School
Listen to Dan Gibson’s Solitudes: Pachelbel in the Garden. Solitudes. A New Age interpretation of Pachelbel’s Canon accompanied by the sounds of nature.
Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds Gross and Fine Motor
Working in a garden, planting seeds, pulling weeds, and watering the plants works on both fine and gross motor skills. For extra fun, check out these additional activities.
Fine Motor
Chlorophyll Paintings: Use your fingers to paint using the green chlorophyll from leaves with these instructions from Around the Kampfire.
Gross Motor
Seed Sock Walk
Put some socks on over your shoes and go for a nature walk to gather seeds (they will stick to your socks). Walking through a pasture or field, or along a fence row, or even in a park are great places to pick up seeds on your socks. This is a great opportunity to talk about seed dispersal. The books Seeds Move by Robin Page and Flip, Float, Fly by Joann Early Macken will both help you explain seed dispersal to your younger kiddos.
To learn more about taking a seed sock walk and growing your socks, check out these suggestions from Run Wild My Child.
Gardening: Discoveries with Seeds Sensory Activities
Make naturally dyed dandelion playdough with this recipe from Parenting Chaos. Or create a dandelion-themed invitation to play like Lizzie Homemaker did. These activities would be a perfect complement to the book, The Dandelion Seed by Joseph P. Anthony
Family Approved Movies
Watch the family-friendly film, All Saints. 2017 PG All Saints is based on the inspiring true story of salesman-turned-pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all. Available on DVD or Prime, Vudu, and many other streaming services.
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