Make a Mini Greenhouse from a CD Case
Provided by: Center for Ecoliteracy|Published on: December 13, 2025|Last updated: September 26, 2026
Grades: K, 1, 2, 3
Type: Activity - Classroom
Subjects: Science
Authors: Center for Ecoliteracy
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- In this activity from the Center for Ecoliteracy, students will reuse a plastic CD case to create a mini greenhouse and observe how seeds germinate and grow.
- Students will explore how water, warmth, and light help plants grow.
Teaching Materials
Positives
- Students will love working with seeds to see them transform in real time.
- Reusing a CD case introduces sustainability concepts in an age-appropriate way.
Prerequisites
- Students should know that plants need water and light to grow.
- Teachers should plan for daily observation and watering over multiple days.
- Teachers will need to soak radish seeds overnight before students can add them to their greenhouses.
Differentiation & Implementation
- After creating their greenhouses, students can create seed journals to track their seeds’ growth. Students can make math connections by taking daily measurements of their seeds and seedlings and adding this data to their journals.
- Teachers can connect reuse to caring for the Earth and introduce SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).
- Teachers can take time to explain the importance of reusing materials instead of buying new ones, highlighting the use of a recycled CD case. Teachers can extend this activity to literacy by reading this ebook with students to help them understand the waste problem.
- This activity can support early conversations about climate change by noting how temperature and water affect living things. Alternatively, to help build students’ background knowledge to eventually support their understanding of the greenhouse effect and climate change, teachers can explain how a greenhouse helps seeds grow by keeping them warm.
This resource is a simple seed germination activity using a clear CD case so that students can observe. Clear instructions are provided. This activity could serve as a connection to climate change by explaining photosynthesis to students once green leaves appear. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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