My Growing Race Math + Science Investigation: Years 3 and 4

Growing plants is great fun and can lead to loads of teaching opportunities. For this activity students will plant a variety of species and measure their growth rate over time.

The students first look at how they can carry out this investigation, completing an investigation plan. After the seeds are planted they’ll measure the height of each plant every week and record their findings on the table.

As part of the sheet they’ll need to work out differences in heights.

We suggest using 4 - 5 different types of plants, ideally ones with a clear difference in growth rate. How you carry this investigation out depends greatly on the space you have available. You may choose to use separate plant pots or maybe you have a veg patch available.

It’s good to discuss the importance of the plants being in the same locations. Why is the sun important for plants? Why is water important? You can go into as much or little detail as needed in these discussions.

It can be useful to set up a timetable of who is going to care for the plants each day. If you choose to use fruits or vegetables (highly recommended!) you can then go onto use these as another stimulus for activities.

Suggested Plants:
Tomato
Spinach
Baby Carrots
Bush Beans
Green Onions
Summer Squash
Beets

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