How to water plants

Follow this step-by-step guide to watering plants with learners

This activity will guide learners through identifying which areas need watering, how to water plants correctly, and checking on their plants to help them grow and stay healthy. By observing and caring for their plants, learners will begin to understand what they need to grow, whilst counting their watering helps younger learners to understand time durations and number.

Making change happen

Mini activities

EYFS

KS1

Science

Mathematics

Preparation

What you need

small watering cans, homemade watering devices from milk bottles, or bottle top waterers and recycled plastic bottles
water butts, outside tap or buckets filled with water

Location

Outdoors

Useful guidance

Resources

Watering plants Activity Guide.pdf 1.44 MB

Step by step

Support learners to fill their watering cans, watering devices or bottles carefully with water.
Take a look at areas around your site and help learners to choose a bed, area or particular crop that needs watering – children can dip their finger in the soil to feel how moist the soil is and if plants need watering. Encourage them to stick to this area to ensure it is watered thoroughly.
Show learners how to water the soil at the base of the plants, not the leaves, or higher up the plant. Explain that it is the roots of the plants that take up most of the water, they are like ‘underground drinking straws’. Watering the leaves of the plants is not beneficial and can cause scorching, especially on sunny days.
Whilst watering, count slowly to ten before moving along to the next plant.
Teach younger learners this watering song to sing as they go to help them time their watering, as well as practice number sequencing:

1,2,3,4,5, water keeps our plants alive,
6,7,8,9,10 to be sure we will do it again,
Why do we water so?
Water helps our plants to grow.
If we count we’ll get it right, then our plants will be a sight.

This activity has been adapted from RHS Campaign for School Gardening

Curriculum links

This activity can be used to support curriculum knowledge and skill development in physical development, understanding the world, mathematics and science, alongside enhancing nature education, with age-appropriate adaptations.

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