Spring Science ~ Growing Seeds in A Jar

While we are all at home, we invited everyone to join us in a spring experiment.  Have you ever wondered what happens to a seed when you plant it in the ground?  Let's find out how seeds grow!

For this experiment, you will need a few simple things that can be found around the house.

Materials

- a clean jar
- paper towels
- dried beans  (You may wish to soak your beans.)
- water

Our Materials

Steps:

1.  Fill the jar with paper towels.

The Jar

2.  Add water to the jar taking care not to flood it.

3.  Push some bean seeds down the sides of the jar.  Ensure

     that they are visible and supported by the paper towels.

Adding Beans to the Jar

4.  Place the jar in a sunny spot.

Observations:

What happened to the bean seeds?

After a few days, my bean seeds sprouted roots.  This is called germination. 

My bean seed has begun to sprout.

The roots grew down.  The job of the root is to find food for the growing plant.  Roots also support and anchor the plant to the ground.

The roots are very fine.

The Root

Slowly but surely, the bean seeds began to grow a stem.  The stem grows up toward the light.  It carries water and minerals from the root to the rest of the plant.

The stem begins to emerge.

Can you see the leaves beginning to peep out?

The growing stems.

Can you see the leaves?

The Stem

Over time, the stems became longer and stronger.  The leaves appeared.  Leaves grow out from the stem.  Their job is to make food for the plant.

The Leaves

My bean plants are getting too big for my jar!

My growing bean plants!

I am going to carefully plant them in a pot and take care of them indoors.  When the weather gets warmer, we can (hopefully) plant them in the vegetable garden at school!  That is something wonderful to look forward to!


Inside a seed is the promise of new life.  Here are some great books about seeds that we have at school.

Books about seeds from our school library.

Here is a fun action song about a growing bean.

I'm a Little Bean Action Song

I'm a little bean small and round,

(curl up on the floor)

Bury me deep into the soft, soft ground,

(sung in a very deep voice)

Sprinkle me with water,

(act out watering with a watering can)

Sunshine too,

(make your arms big and round like the sun)

Watch me grow as tall as you!

(stand and stretch up to the sky)