We want students to learn that there are different stages in plant life cycles, and we want to emphasize/focus on the early stages from seed to seedling. Students see and study germination and seedling development. They also explore where seeds come from and the role seeds play in a plant's life cycle.

Children are familiar with plants growing and changing, but some stages of growth are more difficult to see and connect to what they do know. Children haven't spent much time thinking about what happens to seeds while they are underground. Some children have very little experience with planting seeds or growing plants. We can't take those kinds of experiences for granted. Initially, many students ask where seeds come from or, "How did those seeds get in there?"