Seedling Grow
By Mieke VanderBorght,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Plant a seed, watch it grow with this simple tracker.
Add your rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Seedling Grow
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
The first step in SEEDLING GROW is to choose a plant to grow. Pick from five suggested plants, or enter your own -- either way kids need to have the seeds in real life. Plant the real seeds and use the app to take a photo. Set notifications to get a daily reminder to take a photo and for days and times to water. Once the plant is set up in the app, name it and tap the tips icon to read gardening hints. As the plant grows and photos accumulate, kids can make a time-lapse video of their plant's progress. Earn badges for milestones such as creating your first plant, or watering for 10 days.
Is It Any Good?
Solid connections between on- and offscreen activities are nice to see, even if this plant tracker doesn't have too many unique things to offer. The main functions of Seedling Grow are that it sets reminders to water plants, makes it easy to create a time-lapse video, and provides an organized space for motivating kids to engage with plants. Because there are other ways to set reminders and make time-lapse videos, there's room for an app like this to offer a whole lot more. For example, the existing growing tips are basic and sparse, so expanding those would be great. Or, there could be games or information about the parts of a plant and the science behind how it grows. All the same, some families may find it inspiring to have these functions together in a presentation that's explicitly set up to encourage kids to grow plants. Since Seedling Grow depends on watching real plants grow, parents will need to be actively involved. Kids will need help finding and purchasing the necessary supplies and may need help caring for their plants. Parents will also have to relay the notifications that come daily and remind kids to water and take photos of their plants. If something as simple as Seedling Grow can inspire kids to try their hand at growing a plant, then it's definitely worth a look -- especially for free!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about kids' experience growing plants with Seedling Grow. What plants are they interested in growing? What does their plant need to thrive and why? What do they see each day as their plant grows?
Get into the growing with your kids. Help them remember to water and place the plant to get the right amount of sunlight. Then, enjoy the results of your labor whether they are beautiful flowers or yummy herbs.
Read the developer's website for some fun extension activities to enhance your kids' learning.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects: Science : plants, Hobbies : gardening
- Skills: Self-Direction : motivation, work to achieve goals
- Pricing structure: Free
- Release date: February 24, 2016
- Category: Education
- Topics: Science and Nature
- Publisher: Seedling USA, Inc
- Version: 1.0
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.0 or later
- Last updated: June 10, 2019
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Download
Our Editors Recommend
Best Science Games, Websites, and Apps for Kids
Best Biology Games, Apps, and Websites for Kids
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate