How to Grow a Science Experiment With Your Child - Bean Plants

Science can be turn into tiny numbers and complicated formulas awfully fast for a child. Help your kid remember the fun behind science with a simple experiment, and even reap the benefits, if you're so inclined. Bean plants germinate quickly, show obvious results quite fast so it holds your child's attention, and will produce fresh veggies for the table. What's to lose?

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A ziploc bag
• paper towels
• beans
• soaking dish
• pot
• soil
• water
• a desire to learn
• paper and pencil

1. At the beginning of the experiment, sit down with your child and explain that you two are going to do a science experiment, and that each day you both will record the progress of the plant as it sprouts, grows roots, then leaves, and finally becomes a full fledged plant. Don't stress the proper labels. You're aiming for a sense of what science can be, how you would apply scientific tracking, and to keep your child interested and excited about checking the progress daily.

2. 

   Let your child pick out a bean of any kind. Raid the pantry for pinto beans or any dry bean that you might happen to have. Have him select a handful, and place into a bowl deep enough to hold all the beans with water to cover the top.

3. Let the beans soak overnight to re-awaken the germination process. The next day, prepare the home for the beans for the next week or so. Layer five or six paper towels on top of each other, and then place the soaked beans on top in a single layer. Then cover the beans again with another five or six layers of paper towels.

4. Place the paper towel bundle into a ziploc bag, and close it tight. Leave a little bit of air in the bag to help the bean seeds germinate. Place the ziploc bag flat on its side ontop of the fridge or another warm surface.

5. Each day you can check the bag, and you'll see after day two or three roots spreading through the edge of the paper towel set. Watch the germination, and keep an eye out for green shoots to sprout from the seed casing.

6. Once the seeds have sprouted green shoots, it's time to move the seedlings to a pot with dirt. Have your child place the dirt in the pot, and dig finger holes for each seed. The holes should be about an inch and a half deep to two inches.

7. Place the seedlings one to each hole, and lightly cover with soil. Soak the soil to settle it, and then place in a sunny location. Within a couple days, the sprouts will begin to break the surface and produce leaves.

8. 

   Throughout each step, make sure you help your child record the growth. Log any changes like condensation inside the ziploc bag, or how long it takes the seedling to break the surface of the soil. Don't pressure your child, and let him gather his own conclusions. You'll help your child hone his artistic skills, develop a sense of respect for growing things, and start a solid foundation in science. Your child can also learn responsibility if you have them handle the watering to keep the plant alive...it's a symbiotic relationship.

[jmcgeough]

on 4/10/2009 As a science teacher and home school consultant I find this to be a very useful and wonderful article. John