This is a great meeting to do in the spring, when everything is starting to grow. Grow a carrot top and sprout some seeds ahead of time so the kids can see what is going to happen with theirs.
Opening Ceremony
Talk about Plant Propagation
What are the parts of a plant?
Optional: have the kids label the parts of a plant on a worksheet.
Ask kids how plants grow
Seeds vs growing plants from cuttings/grafting
Seeds involve fertilization and lead to more genetic diversity (this is how we get hybrid foods, like lemons and bananas)
Many of the foods we eat are grown from propagating a single parent plant through cuttings, division, or grafting. This allows you to maintain desirable characteristics over time. Many fruit and nut trees are grown this way. Bartlett pears have been grown this way dating back to 1770.
Look at carrot tops and seed germination demos
Talk about how carrots grow (they are biennial, so the first year the seeds turn into carrots, then the second year they produce flowers that produce more seeds) and why you won't get another carrot directly from regrowing the top, but you could from the seeds.
Put seeds in damp paper towels to germinate
Snack & read story
Steam Off Game
Talk about how plants grow in the wild
Pollinators: bees, hummingbirds, butterflies
What attracts them?
How do they fertilize plants?
Seed Dispersal
How do seeds spread?
Wind, Water, Animals, Explosions, Fire
Adaptation: how does where the plant is located inform its seed dispersal mechanism?
Make simple bird feeders from pine cones or toilet paper rolls, sun butter/crisco, and bird seed.
Closing Ceremony
Send each kid home with the seeds they sprouted, a carrot, the instruction and observation handouts, and their birdfeeders.