Learning about how plants grow can be a fascinating subject for children from early years and beyond. I love the look of wonder on a child’s face when they try to comprehend how a tiny seed can grow into a large plant!

But what resources (childrens books, learning resources etc) can you use to help support this topic?

We’ve discovered some fantastic resources for young children that really enable hands-on learning about Plants, here they are:

• • Tap the Magic Tree Board Book Whether reading one-to-one or to a whole class, this book will really engage children in the magic of the changes of seasons. Children are encouraged through the story to tap on the pages, shake the book etc to change the appearance of the apple tree. A fabulous example of a book that’s truly interactive without the need for buttons, batteries or sounds!

• Sow it and Grow it Plant Pots by TTS We think these transparent, plastic plant pots that stick are genius! Fill them with soil, seeds and water and you can stick them on your windows and watch them grow. Because they are transparent children can enjoying seeing how the roots grow into the soil too.

• A Walk Through Nature We are a little bit in love with this book. It teaches children (and perhaps their grown ups!) the importance of stopping to take in the beauty of nature all around us. What’s particularly special about this book is each page, with its gorgeous illustrations, looks like art in its own right. It’s also written in beautiful poetry to really engage little ones.

• Mud and Bloom Children’s Gardening Subscription Box We are huge fans of this monthly subscription box that fosters a love of gardening from a young age. Have a look at our previous reviews here. We’ve just tried out their current box (February 2019) and the children adored all the activities from planting seeds to making and flying their very own kite!

• Lulu Loves Flowers- This Children’s Book is wonderful! The story beautifully depicts the perfect way for a young child to learn about plants: nursery rhymes, a library visit, planting seeds and playing with friends. It literally made me want to copy Lulu plans and plan exactly the same day for my children.

• Twoey Plant in A Pocket– This high quality, tactile resource is brilliant for teaching KS2/KS3 children the names of the key parts of a plant. It’s great for hand-on learning as children can pull off and stick on each part of the plant, thanks to the Velcro tabs. There’s also labels to accompany each part, helping children to learn and spell the key words.

• Jasper’s Beanstalk A wonderful book for primary school aged children about Jasper who’s desperate for his bean to grow into a beanstalk so he can discover giants (like Jack and the Beanstalk did!) Lovely text for beginner readers and a great moral about patience!

• EYR Watch Me Grow Planter We think this planter with transparent side to view the roots and soil looks brilliant! It would make a lovely addition to a primary school’s outdoor space.

• 100 Facts Plant Life From pollination to photosynthesis this non-fiction book is packed full of wonderful facts to support and enhance children’s understanding of plants. It also has absolutely beautiful, high quality photographs of plants, insects and animals.

• The Tiny Seed

Written and illustrated by the iconic Eric Carle (from The Very Hungry Caterpillar fame and such like) this book is brilliant. It tells the story of seeds helping children to understand how plants grow

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• Learning Resources Jumbo Magnifier & Tweezer  I can highly recommend this kit for encouraging your little explorers! The children literally spent the whole afternoon wandering around picking up leaves (and other things!) with their tweezers and then been amazed by how big they looked under their magnifying glass. What’s particularly great about this set over others like it, is it’s high quality, fantastic magnification and the magnification glass’ stand that allows you to look at things without holding it too.

• GroBox Mr Fothergill’s Childrens Vegetable Garden One of the best ways for children to learn about plants is for them to grow them, themselves. Even better if the plants are edible!! This clever box can be planted (the whole box!) and you just have to wait for your carrots and other yummy vegetables to grow. Fantastic if you’re keen to have a vegetable patch..but without the effort.

• British Wildflowers and Trees Handbook Children are always full of questions and if, like me, you can’t always accurately name each flowering plant and tree on a walk..then this book may well become a good friend! Lovely to have with you to encourage older children to refer to when they are keen to identify and learn more about the plants around us.

• A Seed In Need: A first look at the plant cycle: First Look at the Life Cycle of a Flower (Little Bees) A bright and colourful book about a sunflower’s life cycle. Children will love the cute Ladybird and Snail narrators who tell the story of the seeds.

• Things That Grow This stunning and small book provides a useful introduction into how things, such as plants, grow. Handy for explaining the plant cycle to children.

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*Please note for the purpose of this article we were sent some sample resources to review, however all thoughts and opinions are our own. This post also contains some Amazon Affiliate Links- for more information please see our ‘about me’ section.