Seed Scavenger Hunt
Click on the image to print the PDF
Go on a hunt for seeds!
Note: This is best done in Autumn.
How many different kinds of seeds can you find on a walk around your neighbourhood? Take a bag or basket to collect them in.
Did you know that seeds try to be dispersed (spread to other places) in different ways? Some use the wind and even have little wings or ‘helicopters’ to help them. Some use water and can float. Others use animals to move them. They might do this by having hooks that catch animals’ fur (or your clothes!) or they might be inside something yummy, so that animals will eat them (and then poop them out in a new place). Have a look at the seeds that you collect and think about how they are dispersed. Can you figure it out? If they are eaten, which animals eat them?
Biomimicry
Fun fact: Did you know that velcro was invented after a curious man had seeds stick to his socks while on a bushwalk? It’s a fascinating story of perseverance, design, technology and biomimicry (copying nature to invent something for humans). Read more about this invention here or watch the video below.
Native Bush Seed Hunt
Do you have any native bush around you? If so, see what native seeds you can find. Then try out our quiz for native berries/fruit below. Did you know that many of our native berries are only found on female trees? Some of them are edible! We love eating berries from kawakawa, tōtara, rimu, and kahikatea, but our favourite are the kōnini berries from kōtukutuku trees. Remember, some berries can make you sick, so always ensure you have correctly identified berries before eating them.
Watch the videos below to learn more about seeds and how they inspired velcro and how they grow into plants
Click on the images below to download and print the pdfs.
What other kinds of seeds did you find?
