A seed grows into a plant, and that plant makes new seeds. Those new seeds can grow into more plants that make even more seeds. This cycle of seeds making plants making seeds is how plants have survived for millions of years. Each new generation starts from a seed left behind by the generation before it.
Grow sunflowers from seeds, then harvest the seeds from the mature flowers and plant those seeds to start the next generation. Keep a journal documenting the full cycle. Count how many seeds one plant produces and discuss why plants make so many.
Think about this: the food you ate today might have included seeds. An apple has seeds in its core. A strawberry has tiny seeds on its outside. A slice of bread was made from wheat, which started as a seed. Seeds are everywhere, and every one of them has the potential to grow into a new plant.
Here is the amazing part: that new plant will eventually make more seeds. And those seeds can grow into more plants. And those plants make even more seeds. It goes on and on and on. This is the great cycle of plant life: seeds to plants to seeds, repeating across generations. The oak tree in your neighborhood might have grown from an acorn that fell from a tree that grew from an acorn that fell from another tree — going back hundreds of years.
One of the most impressive things about this cycle is how many seeds a single plant can produce. A sunflower can make over 1,000 seeds in one flower head. A dandelion puff has about 200 seeds, each with its own little parachute for floating on the wind. A single orchid can produce millions of tiny seeds. Why so many? Because most seeds will never become plants. They land on pavement, get eaten by birds, wash into rivers, or fall in places that are too dry or too dark. By making a huge number of seeds, the plant makes sure at least a few survive.
Each seed carries the parent plant's traits — instructions for what kind of plant to become. An apple seed will always grow into an apple tree, never an orange tree. A rose seed will always grow into a rose bush. The seed is a tiny package of information and energy, ready to start the cycle again whenever it finds the right conditions: water, warmth, and air. This cycle has kept plants alive on Earth for over 400 million years.