Your Child Will Learn
How plants change as they grow and how to take care of a plant
Here’s What to Do
- Use a spray bottle to dampen (but not soak) a paper towel. Place the paper towel inside of a sealable sandwich bag, and place a few beans (provided by school) on top of the paper towel. Seal the bag. Repeat in a second bag for the second set of beans.
- Move one bag to a sunny spot like a windowsill, and one to a dark spot. Over the next 3-5 days, check the beans and spray the paper towels with water if the towel is dry.
- After 3-5 days, both sets of beans should sprout. Check them once a day to see how they are growing, and if there’s a difference between the sunny and the shady beans.
- (Optional) After about 2 weeks, you can move your sprouts into cups filled with dirt and watch them grow! Or, keep them in the bags and observe what happens without dirt. You can continue keeping one in the dark and observing the difference.
Put PEER Into Action
PAUSE
- Gather your materials on a table and set them up where your child can easily reach them. Great! You’re ready to start!
ENGAGE
- “Let’s check our beans and give them water. Can you spray water on the paper towel?”
- After checking the beans: “What do you notice about the beans today? Right, they’re growing green roots! That’s called ‘germination.’”
ENCOURAGE
- “I know it’s hard to wait for the plants to grow! We just have to be patient, and there will be plants in a few days if we keep taking care of them.”
- “Do you notice a difference between the beans in the sunny spot and the beans in the darker spot? Is there anything different about the size or color of the roots they’re sprouting?”
REFLECT
- Now that the beans have germinated, what do you think we would need to do to grow them into a plant?
Not Quite Ready
Describe your plant observations for your child to help expand their vocabulary and knowledge.
Ready for More
Keep an observation log, helping your child draw or write what the sprout looks like each day.
As Your Child Masters This Skill
They will understand the first stage in the growth of a plant, and that plants need sunlight, water, and soil to grow.
Time to Complete
5 minutes each day, over the course of 1-2 weeks
Materials Needed
6 dried beans (like pinto or lima beans, or lentils; sent home from school), two sealable sandwich bags, paper towels, spray bottle (or can use gentle drip from tap).