Essy
BUILD A SEED THAT ESCAPES
The parent tree has a problem!
Imagine hundreds of new seedlings all trying to grow underneath the same tree.
They would have to compete for light, water, nutrients and space.
Luckily, some plants have an incredible solution.
Their seeds can use the air to escape!
Some float. Some glide. Some even spin through the air like tiny helicopters.
But which designs work best?
Essy has a mission for you.
Can you investigate a flying seed and then engineer your own seed to escape even farther?
Don’t just build it. Predict. Test. Change. Use your evidence to make it better!
Ages
7-12 yrs
Duration
min
30
Difficulty
Easy
Stage
Stage 1-3
Cite this resource
Created by Darin Carr (BSc, DipEd)
NESA Accredited Teacher · Chemistry & Physics Specialist · 30+ years in-class teaching
Resource Version: 1.0
First Published:
Last Updated:
18 Aug 2026
MISSION VERIFIED
Classroom tested. Teacher designed. Safe at home.
Designed by Darin Carr (BScDip Ed)
Practising NESA accredited
Australian Science Teacher
★ 30+ years of classroom experience
MISSION PROGRESS
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Before you investigate... watch the mystery
MISSION HOOK
Professor Picklebottom and the team are travelling and collecting amazing science mysteries.
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Mission Equipment
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
Paper, string / thread
Seed design template
Scissors, Paperclips, Pencil
Ruler or tape measure
Stopwatch or timer
Electric fan, Sticky tape
Clear space for testing
Optional real seeds to examine
Let’s Investigate
Follow the missions steps below to solve the mystery.
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Which seed would you choose — and why?
1
Meet Nature’s Flying Seeds
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Which seed would you choose — and why?
1
Meet Nature’s Flying Seeds
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Which seed would you choose — and why?
1
Big Title
Gather your materials and get
ready for an amazing mission!
PREDICT
OBSERVE
EVIDENCE
ASK
SAFETY
TIP
PREDICT
Which seed would you choose — and why?
The Crazy Scientist LAB Learning System™
Every experiment follows The Crazy Scientist Lab Learning System™ — a simple way to help kids think like real scientists.
We
-
LINK to what they already know,
-
ACTIVATE curiosity through hands-on discovery
-
BUILD understanding that actually sticks.
Have you ever…
Blown a dandelion and watched the seeds float away?
Seen a winged seed spin towards the ground?
Watched a leaf get carried sideways by the wind?
Wondered why some seeds have wings, hairs or parachute-like shapes?
Plants have a problem.
If all their seeds simply dropped underneath the parent plant, the new plants could end up competing for light, water, space and nutrients.
So some plants have evolved clever ways of using moving air to help their seeds escape.
Today you'll investigate three of them…
SPIN. PARACHUTE. GLIDE.
You investigated it yourself.
You examined real wind-dispersed seeds.
You predicted how different shapes might move.
You built a spinner, parachute and glider.
You released each design from the same height.
You measured how long they stayed in the air.
Then you added moving air and measured how far they travelled from the parent tree.
You even changed a variable and tested whether you could improve a design.
With every test, you collected another clue.
Now it's time to use those clues to explain how seeds escape.
Your investigation revealed something important.
A seed doesn't need an engine to travel through the air.
Its shape can change the way it falls.
As a seed falls, gravity pulls it towards the ground. But the seed is also moving through air, and the air pushes against its surface.
Different shapes interact with that air in different ways.
A spinner rotates as it falls, slowing its journey towards the ground.
A parachute spreads out a large area to catch the air and fall more slowly.
A glider uses its wing-like shape to move through the air and can travel sideways as it falls.
So why does staying airborne matter?
The longer a seed is in the air, the longer moving air has to carry it away from its parent plant.
"Want the full teacher guide? The Crazy Scientist Lab includes classroom delivery tips, how to manage the WOW moment, differentiation for Stage 2 & 3, — ready to teach tomorrow."
Think Like a Scientist
Scientists don't stop after their first discovery.
They ask new questions, collect more evidence and test their ideas in different ways.
Where could you take this investigation next?
Does a bigger seed design escape farther?
Does a lighter seed travel farther? (change number of paper clips)
Dr Puddledrip’s Science Tip
Read the Science
Seeds Need to Get Away!
A parent plant needs light, water, space and nutrients to survive. Its new seedlings need these things too.
If every seed simply dropped beside the parent plant, they could all end up competing for the same resources.
So plants have evolved some amazing ways to disperse their seeds — spreading them away from the parent plant.
Catching a Ride on the Air
Some seeds use moving air to travel.
Their shape can change the way they fall:
SPIN
Winged seeds can spin as they fall. Spinning can slow their fall, giving the wind more time to carry them away.PARACHUTE
Seeds such as dandelions have lots of fine hairs that catch the air. This helps them fall slowly and drift with the wind.GLIDE
Some winged seeds can move sideways as they fall, helping them travel away from the parent plant.
Why Does Falling Slowly Help?
Gravity is pulling every seed towards the ground.
At the same time, the air pushes against the falling seed. A seed's shape, surface area and mass affect how it moves through that air.
If a seed stays airborne for longer, moving air has more time to carry it away.
But there isn't one perfect seed design.
Different shapes work in different ways — which is exactly what you discovered when you tested your spinner, parachute and glider.
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
Scientist's Challenge
Designed for HPGE, gifted learners and children who enjoy an extra challenge.
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
The Next Question...
You've solved today's mystery. Now discover where curiosity can take you next.
Teachers & Homeschoolers: Print-ready HD versions of this Science Behind It poster and companion G&T Challenge Card are available inside The Crazy Scientist LAB.
Vocabulary
Dispersal — the movement of seeds away from the parent plant.
Drag — the force of air pushing against a moving object.
Variable — something you deliberately change in an investigation to see what happens.
Know a parent or teacher who'd love this? Send it on! 👇
Keep Exploring This Mystery
One experiment leads to even more amazing discoveries inside the Learning Universe.
Curiosity Files
BIG Questions & Discovery
Illustrated Facts
Explore • Discover
Road Trip Science
Discover science everywhere
The Teacher's Cauldron
Think. Experiment. Inspire
Books
Read • Explore
Videos
Watch & Learn
LAB Resources
Premium learning resources
Ready for Your Next Discovery?
READY TO TEACH THIS
TOMORROW?
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