Age 10-11: Darwin's Plant Detectives
Introducing Darwin's Plant Detectives
The 10-11 year-olds - or 'Plant Detectives' - will see how Kew scientists identified mystery seeds and then embark on their own detecting challenge. Their mission is to identify the mystery seeds in the packet in the Treasure Chest. Solving this mystery will combine observing evidence with creative thinking.
Plant Detectives quick start
- Darwin's Plant Detectives learning outcomes PDF Word
- Darwin's Plant Detectives curriculum links (all regions) PDF Word
- Darwin's Plant Detectives Teachers Booklet PDF Word
- Darwin Doodle Book PDF Word
- Darwin's Plant Detectives postcard from Moctar PDF Word
- Darwin's Plant Detectives video download .wmv(55MB) .mov (150MB)
- Darwin's Plant Detectives video Video
To celebrate 200 years since Charles Darwin's birth, The Great Plant Hunt has been developed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, commissioned and funded by the Wellcome Trust.
What's this?
Teachers need to sign up for a school account - even if you've already registered to get our newsletter.
When you sign up, we'll send you a username and password for your classes to log in with and share photos and data from their Great Plant Hunt activities.
Please use a school email address if you have one - other email addresses will take a little longer to process.
You must log in to:
- Change your details or year group
- Send us your photos
- Moderate photos
- Send in tips and tricks
- Assign teachers to year groups
New visitor? Register here
Photos
Every week, we'll award one stunning image the prestigious 'Photo of the Week' grand title! Winning photos will appear on The Great Plant Hunt home page in the treehouses and in the photo album.
Send us your photos!Sign up for an account to get your school's children uploading photos and entering the competition.
Tips and Tricks
Run a Plant Detectives assembly
Kick off the Plant Detectives work with an assembly or classroom presentation! Read the Darwin the Plant Detective chapter from the storybook and show the Plant Detectives video of Masego - a real life Plant Hunter who’ll set the children their challenge.
Footsteps frenzy
Download and print out as many Plant Detectives footsteps as you need to get the childrens’ work walking all over the classroom.
Fun with leaves
What we enjoyed this year was collecting the leaves gathered on a thinking walk, pressing them in the plant press and using them to make christmas cards! We might experiment with biodegradable festive decorations next year..
More tips & tricksPlant Detectives activities
Plant Detectives Activity 1: Thinking Walk
In Activity 1, the Plant Detectives will hear real life stories about scientists identifying mystery seeds, and then think about identifying characteristics of plants on their walk.
- Duration: 2 lessons.
Activity 1 Resources
Plant Detectives Activity 2: Name that plant
In Activity 2, the Plant Detectives will examine the mystery seeds and conduct germination experiments to identify them from a number of variables in a 'fair test'.
- Duration: 2 lessons.
Activity 2 Resources
- Darwin's Plant Detectives Activity 2 PDF Word
- How Kew solved the mystery of Jan Teerlink's seeds PDF Word PPT
- How to make a newspaper plant pot PDF Word PPT
- How to make a newspaper plant pot video Video
- How to make a newspaper plant pot video download .wmv (33MB) .mov (48MB)
- Identifying a plant from seeds PDF
- The Great Plant Hunt Identikit PDF
- Teachers Species guide PDF
Plant Detectives activities, stickers and games
Plant Detectives Activity 3: Find that plant
In Activity 3, the Plant Detectives will try and identify the mystery plant locally and collect examples, and design a test and materials for the following year's
- Duration: 2 lessons.
Activity 3 Resources
The fun stuff!
Engage the Plant Detectives with Sunflower Survival and other interactive games! They can be used by children independently or on a whiteboard as a whole class. Plus there's stickers and an extra fun outdoor extension activity to do or take home.
- Sunflower Survival
Download The Great Plant Hunt games
You can download the individual games to your computer by clicking on the links below - make sure you choose the correct type of file depending on whether you use a PC or Mac. When the download has completed, you will need to unzip the folder to a suitable place on your computer then, follow the simple instructions included in the folder.
PC users Mac usersPlan and run a Darwin’s Plant Detectives assembly
The Plant Detectives assembly
Read the Darwin the Plant Detective chapter from the storybook to set the scene, then show the children the Darwin's Plant Detectives postcard and video from Moctar to get them going on the classroom and outdoor activities. Other useful downloads include a poster of Darwin (A3 or A4), and more footsteps to add to the school poster.
Plant Detectives assembly resources
- Storybook Chapter 7: Darwin the Plant Detective PDF Word
- Charles Darwin poster - A3 PDF
- Charles Darwin poster - A4 PDF
- Darwin's Plant Detectives postcard from Moctar PDF Word
- About Kew's Millennium Seed Bank PDF Word
- About Kew's Millennium Seed Bank video Video
- About Kew's Millennium Seed Bank video download .wmv (72MB) .mov (100MB)
- Darwin's Plant Detectives name graphic PDF
- Darwin's Plant Detectives footsteps (A3) PDF
- Darwin's Plant Detectives footsteps (A4) PDF
- Darwin's Plant Detectives colour certificate PDF
- Darwin's Plant Detectives black and white certificate PDF