Plant People

Title: Plant People
Description: Learn about the biggest food source on our planet and then grow your very own plant person with this creative outdoor project.
Season: All year
Length of Activity: 30 minutes
Age: 4-10 years old
Button: Start the Activity

Grass People
If you step outside your door and take a look at your neighborhood, chances are at least one of your neighbors has a lawn. What you may not know is that grass belongs to the Poeceae family and is one of the most abundant plant families on earth.

With more than 10,000 varieties, from pasture grasses where animals graze or foods like oats and barley grown for human consumption, grasses make up the most significant food source on our planet!

But that’s not all, while some people might criticize the amount of water needed to keep grass alive, without it, the amount of oxygen that enters the atmosphere would be significantly reduced.

That’s why we are going to grow our very own “toupe” of grass with this fun, outdoor plant person activity.

Supplies and Tools needed:
● 1 pair of pantyhose or old tights.
● Potting soil
● Grass seed
● Miscellaneous craft supplies like pipe cleaners and wiggly eyes or buttons.
● Glue

Getting started

Step 1: Cut a 6-8 inch piece from your pantyhose or tights. The color isn’t important. If your piece does not include the toe, tie a knot in one of the ends, leavin the other end open.

Step 2: Next fill it with 2-3 spoonfuls of grass seed then fill the rest of it up with potting soil and tie a knot in the end.

Step 3: Use your hands to softly shape it into the form of a head and then turn it over so that the grass seed is facing up.

Step 4: Use your craft pieces to make a face on your plant person. You can use buttons for eyes, or pipe cleaners for arms. Get creative!

Step 5: After your glue has dried, carefully water your plant person until it is fully moistened and then place in a warm spot like a window seal. Check it each day to make sure the soil stays nice and moist. If it dries out it won’t sprout. Within 3-5 days your plant person should sprout hair.

Step 6: Once the hair is grown you can let it keep growing or experiment with giving your plant person its very own hair cut!

Taking it Deeper
Did you know there are around 1,400 species of grass in the United States?
What do you notice about the way the plants within the Poeceae family tend to grow? How do they smell? Are they all edible by humans?
Take a look in your cupboard. Which foods do you think might come from grass?
What might happen if grass disappeared?

Further Reading
Do you want to know more about grass? Take a look at this informative article where you will find 10 surprising facts about grass and why it is so important.

Further Watching
The first 4 minutes of this fun little video gives us insight into what life might be like without grass.