SEEDPOP!
We are currently inviting 6th classes to take part
in SeedPop! in November 2026.
Register your interest HERE
What is SeedPop!?
A TEACHER-LED, fully resourced
hands-on science programme for 5th & 6th class.
Designed for 5th and 6th class pupils, SeedPop! explores seed germination and plant growth through real-world challenges such as climate change, sustainable agriculture and food security.
Pupils become plant scientists themselves — asking questions, carrying out their own experiments with seeds, collecting and analysing data, and sharing what they discover.
The programme also connects pupils with scientists, helping children discover who scientists are, what they do, and how science can help us tackle challenges in the world around us.
SeedPop! connects classroom science with three of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
SeedPop! Experiment Kit
Seed Germination Experiment
SeedPop! is funded by Research Ireland through the Discover Programme.
SeedPop! aims
SeedPop! aims to develop children’s understanding of plant science and scientific inquiry, while helping them see science as relevant, accessible and something they can be part of.
Through a series of classroom sessions, pupils investigate seed germination and seed priming — a technique used to help seeds germinate and grow — and discover how environmental conditions can affect plant growth. They explore how plant science can contribute to sustainable agriculture and future food security.
At the heart of SeedPop! is learning science by doing science. Pupils develop a research question and hypothesis, set up a germination experiment, observe and measure root growth, analyse their data, and communicate their findings — following the same basic scientific processes used by researchers.
The programme is teacher-led and fully resourced, supporting teachers to deliver hands-on, inquiry-based science with confidence. Teachers have access to lesson plans, background information and guidance, ready-to-use slides, worksheets and pupil handouts, together with the materials needed to carry out the germination experiment in the classroom.
Examples of pupil work from the SeedPop! pilot
A little more about what makes SeedPop! special
REAL SCIENCE IN THE CLASSROOM
Question • Experiment • Analyse • Share
Pupils follow the scientific method — asking questions, making hypotheses, conducting experiments, collecting and analysing their own data, and sharing their results. They also discover that results don’t always turn out as expected, and that learning, questioning and trying again are all part of doing science.
REAL-WORLD CONNECTIONS
Climate Change • Agriculture • Food security
Starting with a simple seed, pupils explore bigger questions about how environmental conditions affect the plants we depend on for food, and how plant science can contribute to sustainable agriculture and food security.
REAL PEOPLE IN SCIENCE
Meet • Share • Inspire
SeedPop! connects pupils with university science students and researchers who volunteer as near-peer role models. Pupils have the opportunity to share their own findings, ask questions and discover that scientists are real people with different backgrounds and interests — and that science is something they too can be part of.
MADE FOR THE CLASSROOM
Curriculum-linked • Fully resourced
SeedPop! supports the new STEM-focused Primary School Curriculum through a hands-on investigation that brings science and mathematics together around seed germination. Teachers receive ready-to-use teaching resources, experiment materials, guidance and support.
Scientific Method
Examples of Classroom Resources
Get involved
There are different ways to get involved with SeedPop! — whether you would like to bring the programme to your primary school classroom or volunteer as a scientist and help inspire young people through science.
BRING SEEDPOP! TO YOUR CLASSROOM
We are currently inviting 6th classes to take part in SeedPop!
in November 2026 and February 2027.
SeedPop! is designed for 5th and 6th class pupils and is delivered by primary school teachers using the teaching resources and experimental materials provided. Participating teachers receive the resources, guidance and support they need to run the programme with their class.
Interested in bringing SeedPop! to your school?
Complete our short expression of interest form and the SeedPop! team will be in touch with more information.
BECOME A SEEDPOP! VOLUNTEER
Are you a university science student or researcher interested in sharing science with young people? SeedPop! volunteers act as near-peer role models, meeting pupils, listening to them present their research, and sharing their own experiences of studying and doing science. Guidance and training are provided to help volunteers prepare for their classroom visit.
Interested in volunteering with SeedPop!?
INTERESTED IN SEEDPOP! OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL?
SeedPop! is currently being developed for primary schools, but we'd be interested to hear from community groups, afterschool programmes and other organisations interested in hands-on plant science activities for young people.
Please get in touch with the SeedPop! Project Manager to tell us about your interest.
Yoshiko Nishigori (she/her)
SeedPop! Project Manager
University of Galway
yoshiko.nishigori@universityofgalway.ie
Meet our volunteer scientists!
A big thank you to our June 2026 pilot volunteer scientists
— Jessica, Delon, Michelle and Xinyi (back row to front, left to right) — pictured here with SeedPop!
Principal Investigator Dr Sara Farrona.
A big thank you to the teachers and pupils who took part in the first SeedPop! pilot in May–June 2026:
Eimear and her 5th class
Galway Educate Together NS
Múinteoir Colm and his 5th class
Scoil Iognáid
Their enthusiasm, participation and feedback helped us test and improve SeedPop! and shape the programme for future schools.
The SeedPop! team
SeedPop! brings together expertise in plant science, education and public engagement at the University of Galway.
The project is led by Dr Sara Farrona, Associate Professor in the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences and head of the Plant Developmental Epigenetics Lab. Her research explores how plants respond to their environment, with important links to climate change, sustainable agriculture and food security.
Lindsay Deely, a STEM-arts educator and founder of Toodlelou, leads the development of SeedPop!'s educational resources. Dr Muriel Grenon, Founding Director of Cell EXPLORERS, provides expertise and guidance in science education and teacher and volunteer engagement. SeedPop! Project Manager, Yoshiko Nishigori, coordinates the school rollout, teacher and volunteer support, and project evaluation.
SeedPop! is also supported by trained student scientists and researchers who volunteer with the programme, joining classroom visits and serving as scientist role models.
A little about our collaborators and funders
SeedPop! builds on a pilot seed germination activity originally developed through the EU-funded MSCA Doctoral Network EpiSeedLink, in collaboration with Cell EXPLORERS.
The current SeedPop! programme is funded by Research Ireland Discover Programme.
Contact us
Have a question about SeedPop!? We’d love to hear from you.
Yoshiko Nishigori (she/her)
SeedPop! Project Manager
School of Biological and Chemical Sciences
University of Galway
yoshiko.nishigori@universityofgalway.ie