Are you looking for some hands-on plant activities your K-2 kiddos will absolutely LOVE? These Plants STEM Playdough Mats are seriously so much fun — and so good for little learners! Whether you’re deep into your plant life cycle unit, exploring plant parts and plant needs, or just need an engaging science center that basically runs itself, this resource has you covered. Your students will use playdough to respond to open-ended STEM and STEAM challenges all about plants — roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and more. It’s the kind of activity that makes kids excited about science, and makes YOU excited about teaching. That’s a win-win!

👀 Check out the Preview to see all the mats up close before you buy!

🌿 What Do You Get?

⭐20 Plant STEM/STEAM Playdough Mats 60 Different STEM/ STEAM Challenges!

• Plant parts (roots, stem, leaves, flower, fruit, seeds)

• Plant life cycle stages — from seed to flower!

• Plant needs (water, sunlight, soil, air)

• Open-ended Freestyle/Smoosh Station challenges

• Science vocabulary embedded right into the mats

✔️ Designed with flexibility in mind, these mats are offered in different sizes and in both color and black-and-white to suit any classroom setup.

• Legal-sized STEM Playdough Mats (****Please note that when you go to print, you will have to change the paper size to legal for them to print correctly.)
• Legal-sized “backs” for the mats.
• The Same Playdough Mats as above, but letter-sized
• Editable Versions Included!

•Teacher notes, ideas, and questions for your STEM time.

•Suggestion Posters for how to create things out of playdough

•Task cards of Plant STEM challenges

•Playdough Recipes

•Writing Mini-books to extend students’ learning

*(Don’t forget to peek at the preview — it shows you everything!)*

💡 Ways to Use This Resource:

• Plant science centers or STEM/STEAM centers during your plants unit

• Morning tubs or morning work for early finishers

• Fast finisher activities that are actually meaningful

• Maker Space or hands-on science exploration

• Small group instruction or independent exploration

• Fine motor practice woven right into your science content

✅ Skills Students Will Practice:

• Plant life cycle sequencing and vocabulary

• Plant parts identification (roots, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, seed)

• Understanding plant needs (water, sunlight, air, soil)

• Fine motor development and hand strength through playdough

• Creativity, design thinking, and open-ended problem solving

• Science observation and STEM/STEAM engineering habits of mind

Your little scientists are going to have SO much fun squishing, rolling, and building their way through plant science! These plant activities are perfect for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade — and they make your science centers amazing too. 🌱 Grab this resource and watch your students fall in love with learning about plants!

Happy Teaching,

Hilary