A seed needs water and warmth so it can start to grow into a seedling. Then it needs sunlight, soil and more water so it can grow into a full size plant. If it has too much water it will rot. If it has too little water it will dry out.
This is a bean seed. It grows a root and a shoot.
A seed can look dead, but it is often just dormant. Some seeds can lie dormant for hundreds of years. The time when a seed begins to grow is called germination. The root grows first and then the shoot appears.
Beans can grow in a jar.
Soak some beans in water overnight. The next day, place the bean seeds between blotting paper and the side of a glass jar. Pour in a few centimeters of water. Put the jar on a warm, sunny window-sill. Add a little water each day. Your bean will grow a root and a shoot. When it grows too big for the jar, plant it in soil. If it has flowers and they are fertilized it will make new bean seeds.