It’s the season for plant lovers! 🌱

Ever wondered what makes up a plant? Well, most plants are made up of six essential parts: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. Each part has its own special job, helping the plant thrive.

And guess what? Some plants have more than one edible part—carrot greens and zucchini flowers are both delicious! But some plants only have one (or zero!) edible parts. Potato plants grow small green fruits called potato cherries, but they are not safe to eat. They really shouldn’t have given it such a yummy-sounding name! 

I have a fun, educational, and yummy activity for you to enjoy with your little one! This activity is right out of my Seeds and Plants Family Unit Study. In my unit studies, we take one big topic, like Seeds and Plants, and break it down into 10 manageable, bite-sized learning topics. This format gives you the freedom to dive into learning at a pace that works for your family.

Today, you and your child will be making a plant snack! You will learn all about the various parts of a plant and which parts we eat.

Let’s get snacking!

Free Plant Snack Placemat & Vocabulary Cards

Before we jump in, you will want to grab the free plant placemat printable and vocabulary cards. They go perfectly with this activity to separate the different foods into the plant parts. Once you enter your email, you will be instantly sent your plant placemat, vocabulary cards, and a free sample of Seeds and Plants Family Unit Study.

Making a Snack From Parts of a Plant!

You might not realize it, but we actually eat a lot of different plant parts! Many fruits, vegetables, and seeds come from each of the six plant parts. Some of them might surprise you—I recommend looking up how Brussels sprouts grow; it’s pretty interesting.

Today, we’ll explore each of these essential plant parts and look at some foods that come from them. 

For this snack activity, you will want to grab the freebie linked above, and then all you will need is a variety of fruits, vegetables, and seeds. 

To kick off this activity, it’s a good idea to do a bit of research to learn which fruits and veggies come from different parts of a plant. You could make a list of all your favorite fruits and veggies to eat and then label them for what type of part of the plant they come from.

Another fun way to do some research is by bringing your little one along to the grocery store! They can check out all the fruits and veggies and get a closer look at where each food is located on the plant. I know you might be thinking, taking my kids to the grocery store is the last thing you want to do, but I assure you, if they have a task or even a visual list, it will make that trip smooth, enjoyable, and even a great learning experience. 

For the root of the plant, we picked carrots and radishes, but there are plenty of other options you could choose from. Roots anchor the plant in the ground and absorb water and minerals, helping it grow. They even have tiny hairs that help soak up extra nutrients.

Next, we went with celery or asparagus for the stem. There are many other fun options to explore, and it can be exciting to pick something new that you wouldn’t normally try. The stem carries water and nutrients from the roots up to the rest of the plant.

Leaves were a pretty easy choice since many of our foods actually look like leaves! For this one, we used spinach. Leaves are responsible for making food for the plant through photosynthesis, and they have a waxy layer on the outside called the cuticle, which helps protect them.

Flowers were a fun one to learn about! I was surprised to discover which veggies are considered flowers. Cauliflower was an easy pick (it’s in the name!). Flowers are the plant’s reproductive parts, and they create seeds. They’re often bright and fragrant to attract pollinators.

Lastly, we chose sunflower seeds and sesame seeds to represent seeds. Seeds are tiny baby plants, and they’re found in the fruit of the plant. With the right care, they could eventually grow into a full-grown plant!

And there you have it—our delicious, nutritious, and educational snack made up of all the different plant parts!

My kids enjoyed learning about how the different vegetables grow, what they look like during the growing process, and what their other plant parts look like.

The snack was even a hit—they asked for more root and flower, please! 

I’d love for you to try this fun activity with your little ones. Explore the fascinating world of seeds and plants with my Seeds and Plants Family Unit Study. You can get it individually or as part of the full Earth & Sky Explorers Bundle, which offers even more exciting topics for your family to enjoy.

Visit the How Wee Learn shop today for more details and to grab your copy!

Seeds and Plants Family Unit Study 

https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/family-unit-study-seeds-and-plants

Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend!

xo
Sarah