NCERT solutions for Environmental Studies - Looking Around [English] Class 5 chapter 5 - Seeds and Seeds [Latest edition]

What things are soaked before cooking in your house? Why?

What things do you eat after sprouting? How are they sprouted? How much time does it take?

Has the doctor or someone you know ever told you to eat sprouts? Why?

Do you remember that in Class IV you did an activity with seeds? Now try another one.

• Take some chana and three bowls. 
• Put five chana in the first bowl and fill it up with water. 
• Put a damp piece of cloth or some cotton wool in the second bowl. Now keep the same number of chanas in it. Make sure that the cotton wool or cloth remains wet. 
• Put the same number of chanas in the third bowl. Do not put anything else in it. Cover all three bowls.

Observe after two days and note the changes in the bowls.

In which bowl did the seeds sprout? What difference did you see between this bowl and the other bowls?

Why did Gopal’s mother tie the chana in a damp cloth?

When you split the whole masoor, you get me - masoor dal. But then you cannot sprout me! Can you think why?

Look carefully at your sprouted chana and make its drawing?

Plant your seeds

Take a clay pot or a tin can with a wide mouth. Make a small hole at the bottom of the can. Fill your can with soil. Put four or five seeds of the same kind in the soil and press them gently. Different groups can plant different kinds of seeds, such as mustard (sarson), fenugreek (methi), sesame (til) or coriander (dhania).

Name of the seed: ______

The date on which you planted them: ______

The day you observe something coming out of the soil, start filling the table:

To find the height of a plant use thread and then measure it on the scale.

How long did it take for the plant to come out from the soil?

What was the difference in the height of the plant on the first and second day?

On which day did the height of the plant increase the most?

Did new leaves come out of the plant every day?

Was there any change in the stem of the plant?

Which seeds took the most number of days for the stem to come out of the soil?

Which seeds took the least days to come out of the soil?

Which seeds did not grow at all? Why?

Did anyone’s plant dry up or turn yellow? Why did this happen?

What would happen if the plants do not get water?

What is inside the seed?

How does a big plant grow from a tiny seed?

What would happen if plants could walk? Draw a picture.

Do some plants grow without seeds?

How many types of seeds can you collect? Where will you find them? Each of you should try to collect as many different types of seeds as you can. After that, put all the seed collections together. Now observe these seeds carefully – their shapes, sizes, colours, textures (smooth or rough). Make a seed chart to put up in the class. You can start with a table like this.

Did you keep aniseed (saunf) and cumin (jeera) on your list? 

Which was the smallest seed and which was the biggest seed in your collection?

Make lists of :

Seeds that are used as spices in your home.

Make lists of :

Seeds of vegetables.

Make lists of :

Seeds of fruits.

Make lists of :

Light seeds (check by blowing them).

Make lists of :

Seeds that are flat.

Make lists of :

Make more groups. How many groups of seeds did you make?

Make lists of :

Do you know any games that you can play with seeds? Discuss with your friends.

Plants cannot move around. Once they grow, they remain in the same place. But their seeds are great travellers! They can reach far and wide. Look at the picture and see the flying seeds.

• Have you ever seen any seed that can fly?
• What is it called in your area?
• Look at your seed collection. Guess how many of those could have travelled by flying.

Look at the picture. This seed cannot fly, but it can still travel by sticking to the fur of animals or on our clothes. In this way, it gets a free ride!

Did you get any new ideas from these seeds?

Look at the pictures given below and guess how the seeds travel and reach different places.

Some plants spread their seeds over long distances. When the soybean pods are ripe, they burst and the seeds are thrown out. Have you ever heard their sound? 

Think what would happen, if seeds did not spread and remained at one place only.

Make a list of the different ways by which seeds are spread.

What all was grown in India long ago? Were mangoes and bananas grown here? What came from other countries? Imagine food without potatoes or tomatoes!

Reena has drawn this picture of the seed sprouted by her. What do you think the seeds need for sprouting? Write in your own words. How would Reena’s seeds look if they did not get the things needed? Show by drawing a picture. 

How do seeds spread to far-off places? Write in your own words.