Thursday 21 March 2013

Seeds for science

So Spring is here!  The science project Honi has chose is to grow plants for food.  Initially she wanted to grow a magic beanstalk but she has already said that she'll be happy if she manages a crop of runner beans.  Phew!

So we started with a packet of runner beans to grow.




Then we got some compost and planted it.  Every day Honi goes and checks on her plants to see how they have grown and draws what she sees in her science journal.


We talk about what is happening and what we can see.


She can't see everything under the soil so I got Harmonie to do a different experiment.  The old seed in a glass jar...

Now usually I would use a dried pea or something like it out of the cupboard but I thought this time I would grow a real runner bean plant which will end up growing outside and giving us a wonderful crop, hopefully!



So I got a glass jar, some kitchen roll and our runner bean seed and put it together like this and added water.  we did this the same day as Honi planted her seeds and, like Honi, Harmonie (with her sister Honi watching closely by) checked her seed everyday.  How she loved that.  It is an experiment to do over and over again because like all things that grow from tiny seeds it is a miracle!  And the more you do something with children the more they will remember it, the more they will understand it and the more chance you will have a chance after chance to discuss it further.
 
All very simply but the children love it so much and learn so much from it too!

5 comments:

  1. Absolutely lovely, I might do something like this with my kids at school, I bet some of them would love it! :)

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to say so, I hope they have a lot of fun with it :D

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  2. And next the avocado project? the patience of a saint required ......

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