Where Foods Grow: Roots, Stems, Leaves, Flowers, Fruits and Seeds

Every plant food comes from a particular part of a plant. Carrots are roots, lettuce is leaves, broccoli is a bunch of flower buds, and peas are seeds. In this activity children sort foods by plant part, talk about where they grow, and trace animal foods back to farms and waters. It takes about 35 minutes.

What children learn

• The six plant parts: root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, seed, and at least one food from each.
• Some surprises: a potato is a stem, not a root. Celery is a leaf stalk. Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are fruits to a botanist.
• Plant foods grow in different places: on trees, on vines, on bushes, in fields, and underground.
• Animal foods such as milk, eggs, cheese, meat and fish come from animals raised on farms or caught in oceans, lakes and rivers.

Background for the adult

This cheat sheet follows standard botany teaching (see sources). Cooks and food guides often use different labels, such as calling tomatoes vegetables, and both ways are fine in their own setting.

Tricky ones to avoid or explain: beets and radishes are usually called roots, though botanists note the swollen part also includes stem tissue. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts are big leafy buds. If children ask, it’s fine to say “scientists argue about that one.”

Where plant foods grow: apples, oranges, mangoes and avocados grow on trees; grapes, cucumbers, squash and many beans grow on vines; blueberries and raspberries grow on bushes or canes; wheat, rice, oats and corn are grasses grown in fields; potatoes, carrots and peanut pods form underground.

Where animal foods come from: milk comes from dairy animals such as cows and goats, and cheese and yogurt are made from milk. Most eggs in U.S. stores come from hens (chickens). Meat and poultry come from animals such as cattle, pigs and chickens. Fish and shellfish come from oceans, lakes, rivers and fish farms. Plant foods such as beans, lentils, tofu, nuts and seeds are protein foods too.

Before you start

1. Print the Where Does It Grow? matching worksheet, one per child.
2. Label six sheets of paper and lay them on a table or the floor.
3. Gather 15–20 picture cards. The food group sorting cards work, or cut pictures from grocery flyers.
4. If you bring real vegetables to look at, check allergies before children touch real produce (pea pods are legumes, for example), rinse them first and have everyone wash hands with soap and water afterward. This activity doesn’t include eating. If you add tasting later, check allergies first and cut food safely for any young siblings.

Steps (about 35 minutes)

1. Draw a plant (5 minutes). Sketch a simple plant with the class: roots, stem, leaves, a flower, a fruit with seeds inside. Label each part. Ask, “Which part of a plant do you think this carrot is? What about the foods in our pictures?”
2. Show and guess (8 minutes). Hold up a carrot with leafy tops, a celery stalk, a broccoli head and a pea pod (or pictures). Children guess the part. Reveal the surprises: snap a pea pod open to show the seeds, and point out a potato’s eyes.
3. Plant-part sort (10 minutes). Children place cards on the six labeled sheets, in pairs or as a group. They must explain one choice each. Revisit the tricky ones together.
4. Where does it grow? (5 minutes). Move the cards into new piles: tree, vine, bush, field, underground. Then add animal foods: where do milk, eggs, cheese and fish come from?
5. Worksheet (7 minutes). Children complete the matching worksheet and draw a favorite food growing in its place.

Make it easier / make it harder

Easier (age 6): Use four parts only (root, leaf, fruit, seed) and very clear examples. Read the worksheet aloud.

Harder (ages 8–10):

• Build a “salad of plant parts”: list a meal that includes a root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit and seed.
• Research a plant that starts with a seed you know (rice, beans, corn) and draw its life cycle.
• Map it: find where a food is commonly grown, using a library atlas or encyclopedia, and mark it on a map.

Inclusive and accessible options

• Use real objects or large pictures for children who learn best by touch and sight.
• For limited English, pair labels with simple drawings, and welcome home-language names.
• Be respectful of family choices: some families don’t eat meat or certain animal foods for cultural, religious or personal reasons. Present where foods come from as facts, without pressure.
• Some children may be upset by talk of animals raised for meat. Keep the discussion matter-of-fact and age-appropriate, and let children opt out of that part.

Talk about it

• Which food surprised you most? Why?
• Why do you think a potato has “eyes”?
• If you could grow one food at home, which part of the plant would you eat?
• What do farmers need to grow food? (Sun, water, soil, seeds, time, and a lot of work.)

Extend the lesson with the Bean Seed in a Cup observation, or read Vegetables and Fruits for Kids.