Planting Inquiry

Mrs. Powell was substituting for Miss Mammarella one day and brought in some seeds.  She asked the students what the seeds might be, giving them the clue they are food that farm animals eat.  The students figured out they were grass, apple, and carrot seeds.  We talked about what things seeds need to grow (soil, sun, water).

Mrs. Versteeg asked the students for help in solving a problem she encountered last summer.  She was trying to grow lettuce but the wild rabbits in her backyard kept eating it. One student suggested she put a cage around the lettuce plant, another student suggested she put it inside a greenhouse.  Wow - some amazing problem solvers!  We held up a plastic bag and asked the students how it was similar to a greenhouse.  The students decided that it was clear so the sunlight could get through and it would protect the seeds.

This led to the students making a prediction about which seeds would grow faster - the seeds that were planted in a pot or seeds that were planted in a plastic bag.  We made a chart - "I predict the seeds will grow faster in a pot OR a bag" and the students wrote their name under their prediction.

Then, students had the opportunity to plant their own grass seeds.  We are going to monitor their growth over the next few weeks as well as our grass, apple, and carrot seeds.  We will keep you posted!