Kids love to take stuff apart to learn how it works, and seeds are no exception. At the beginning of each year, our third-grade students at Verner Elementary open up lima bean seeds to see all the tiny plant parts living inside.

One concerned student though, wondered aloud if the assignment hurt his status as a real gardener. “Aren’t gardeners supposed to be helping plants grow?”

He went on to explain that they shouldn’t be killing the plants they were supposed to be raising and nurturing.

This little scientist already intuitively understood the connection between the tiny seed in the classroom and the actual living things in our garden!