Skip to main content

HappySprout may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Stream these 7 shows to teach kids about plants  

You can inspire kids to get into plants by letting them play with seeds and soil, but consider introducing them to media that gets them even more pumped up about gardening. Before they try their hand at growing their own foliage or even food, introduce them to educational series about the fascinating plant world.

Whether you’re searching for kid shows that are all about plants or ones with standout episodes about greenery, there’s a series out there for your family to enjoy. From “The Big Flower Fight” to “The Magic School Bus,” here are kid-friendly shows about gardening and the great outdoors that your kids can stream right now. 

Disney+: America’s National Parks

Explore the breathtaking beauty of everything from the Great Smoky Mountains to Saguaro National Park in “America’s National Parks,” a stunning National Geographic project consisting of eight 45-minute episodes. The series gets as intense and graphic as “Life or Our Planet,” featuring animals hunting each other in the great outdoors. Though it has an overall TV-14 rating, most of the episodes are a tame TV-PG suitable for kids under 14. 

Family watching TV
August de Richelieu/Pexels

Netflix: The Big Flower Fight

Introduce your little ones to an appreciation for landscaping through floral and foliage arrangements in “The Big Flower Fight!” The show is set up a little bit like “Making It” or “The Great British Baking Show,” featuring 10 teams of garden designers who compete for a chance to show at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens. The show spotlights plenty of beautiful floral designs that will inspire you to try your hand at garden designing on a smaller scale outside your own home. Showcasing a healthy dose of friendly banter, it has a PG rating, so it’s an appropriate watch for most of the family!

PBS Kids on Amazon: Ready Jet Go!

In “Ready Jet Go!,” neighborhood friends Sean, Sydney, Mindy, and Jet teach viewers all about outer space and the earth. Suitable for kids ages 4 and up, the show’s emphasis is on astronomy, but we also get perspective about life in the context of earth science. Check out episodes about testing a greenhouse (“Potatoes on Mars”) and growing pumpkins in the garden (“That’s One Gigantic Pumpkin, Jet Propulsion!”). 

Disney+: Nature Boom Time

Looking for short plant videos for kids? National Geographic’s “Nature Boom Time” consists of five to 10 minute mini-episodes where Charlie, Kirby, and Patrick check out trees all across the nation, exploring everything from forests of California redwoods to the Everglades. Rated TV-G, it’s an educational series for kids of all ages. Learn all about the science and history behind America’s most striking foliage through fun paper cutouts. “Nature Boom Time” conveys information in a way that’s engaging and informative, so it’s a show you can enjoy with the entire family.

Child in garden
CDC/Unsplash

Netflix: The Magic School Bus

In this classic PBS show, quirky Ms. Frizzle and her inquisitive class delve into all kinds of worlds with the help of a magic school bus. They explore everything from the inner workings of the human body to the stars of outer space. While the show isn’t exclusively about plants and gardening, it includes plenty of installations about plant growth and the great outdoors. A few episodes to start with include season one’s “The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed” and “The Magic School Bus All Dried Up.” Though it’s appropriate for kids of all ages, adults will also enjoy the series’ offbeat humor. 

PBS Kids on Amazon: Sid the Science Kid

The title character in “Sid the Science Kid” wants to know “everything about everything.” Like “The Magic School Bus,” the series covers stories about everything from physical health to math. But many of its storylines do relate to nature, weather, and plants. Episodes such as “The Dirt on Dirt” and “Don’t Forget the Leaves” will teach kids about plants growing. “My Mushy Banana,” for example, breaks down the nitty-gritty of composting. Rated TV-Y, “Sid the Science Kid” is perfect for kids as young as 2. 

After checking out episodes from this roundup, we hope that you and your little ones become inspired by all that nature has to offer! Whether they’re about the delicacies of a floral arrangement or the sprawling beauty of the national parks, plenty of kid-friendly streaming shows offer a closer look into the lush plant world.

Editors' Recommendations

Stacey Nguyen
Stacey's work has appeared on sites such as POPSUGAR, HelloGiggles, Buzzfeed, The Balance, TripSavvy, and more. When she's…
Gardening 101: Grow tropical plants in any climate year-round
Easy-to-care-for tropical houseplants
A potted pothos plant on a table

Succulents might get all the buzz for being low-maintenance plants, but don't count out tropical plants. Beloved for their lush leaves and beautiful variegation, tropical houseplants have a reputation for being finicky. While it's true that some require extra humidity and water, many are beginner friendly. Tropical plant care can actually be incredibly simple, especially if you start with one of these 6 tropical houseplants! No matter what experience level, personal taste, or budget, one of these tropical houseplants is sure to be a good fit for you.

Basics of tropical plant care
Many houseplants come from tropical regions all over the world. In nature, they usually grow beneath tree canopies in warm, humid environments. Because of how they naturally grow, these plants appreciate bright indirect light indoors or partial shade outside. Natural light will do, but grow lights can also supplement their needs. As long as the temperature is comfortable for you, it should be sufficient for a tropical plant. When it rains, snows, or gets too cold, bring your plants inside. When it's warm during the growing season, feed them a balanced fertilizer regularly and repot them with well-draining soil if necessary.

Read more
A foolproof guide to propagating snake plants
Tips for propagating these popular indoor plants
Snake plant

Snake plants are beautiful and easy to care for, making it one of the most popular houseplants in the U.S. With more than 90 species of snake plants, there is sure to be a variety to please everyone. You can find them in most plant stores listed as either Sansevieria trifasciata or Dracaena trifasciata. Both names are used for the same plant, so don't panic if you see one and not the other! Once you have a snake plant in your home, it might inspire you to grow more or share them with your friends and family. The easiest and cheapest way to do this is to propagate snake plants. 

There are three ways to propagate snake plants: root a cutting in water, rooting a cutting in soil, and root division. While all these options will work, there is one thing to note. Snake plant varieties with colorations can not be propagated with leaf cuttings. Their variegation is stable, but it will revert if propagated with a leaf cutting. In these cases, use the division method to keep the coloration.

Read more
What are water globes, and why should you use them for plants?
Tips and tricks for using water globes
An iridescent pink water globe under a holly plant.

Not being able to water your plants doesn’t have to mean instant death for them! Whether you’re going away for vacation or find yourself too busy to consistently water your plants, water globes for plants can be a reliable source of hydration for a few weeks. Plus, there are tons of colorful options, so no matter what your personal aesthetic is you're sure to find one that work for you. How useful are these gardening tools, and are they more effective than other watering methods? We'll answer all your questions and even recommend some of our favorite water globes!

What is a water globe?
The idea of a water globe is straightforward. Essentially, you have a sphere made from glass, plastic, clay, or metal with a long, thin neck. At the end of the neck, you'll find a small opening that slowly dispenses water after you fill up the globe and stick it into your soil. When your soil dries out, air gets into the globe, which pushes a small amount of water out of the stem.
Pros of water globes
Water globes are great if you’re going away for a while or find yourself without much time to tend to your plants. They can usually keep your soil moist for between seven to 14 days. If you’re out of town for a week or two or have a particularly thirsty plant, a water globe can be a quick and relatively affordable solution. It’s especially ideal for water-loving plants such as ferns and calatheas, which appreciate moist soil.
Cons of water globes
There are some matters to consider, of course. A globe can be fragile, especially if you get a glass one. Also, the amount of water dispensed can be variable, depending on how you stick the globe into the soil, the size of the sphere, and your home temperature conditions. While water globes dispense water slowly and don’t waterlog your soil, they aren't the best choice for plants that prefer to fully dry out between waterings, such as cacti and succulents.

Read more