All About Flowers: Growing from Seeds

For our Botany/Flower Thematic Unit, we decided to do some experimenting with seedlings and germination.  Using beans right from your pantry are perfect for this lesson!! 




                         Here's what we did....                        


We used approximately five or six Pinto Beans and soaked them overnight. 

The next day we placed them into an zip-lock bag (sealed half way) with a dampened paper towel.

  You can place directly in sunlight.

After about three days they usually start sprouting so we decided to let them grow for an additional day or so. We planted the seeds at about a week after germination.

Harmony planted the seeds herself.  She was so proud!  We are still recording to every single day on the progress that the plants are making. They stand about four inches high at the present.

Unfortunately, we only had two seedlings that were successful but so far so good. 

After they reach a certain height it is recommended that you provide them with support so they do not topple over and snap in half. 

Harmony loves taking care of her plants, watering, and seeing how big they've grown!

Here are a few other botany/flower related lesson plans, books, and idea's for children. 

Teacher Vision

Kinder Plans Lessons: Plants is excellent for flower and plant crafts, activities, and the printable PDF version of the above botany recording book that we used!

Here are some excellent, excellent books that we also checked out at our local library!  Our favorite was Planting a Rainbow.. even though we read and re-read each at least twice.

Happy Tuesday!

Candice S.

I live in Florida, where you can garden all year round.. :)

I do not have a green-thumb, by any means.  Actually, I think that my four year old can help a plant thrive and survive better than I.  ..This wall garden, however, is so brilliant and so "green" that I just couldn't help but share a photo and a link to Modish Blog's tutorial on how to make it.  

I'm in love .. and am so willing to at least make an attempt at it one day!  

Do you have any gardening tips for house plants and the like that you would like to share?

Candice S.

Cherry Seeds, Sweet Potato Vines, and A Crazy Gardener.

I try to grow a lot of crazy things that come into my home and although most meet their end by becoming partially consumed, I usually save the leftover pits, and/or seeds.  :)

Example:  Potato Plant I have had for almost a year.  It's a sweet potato vine that grows, I cut it back, and then it grows some more.  Harmony and I, love it!!  I know that it's suppose to have more leaves..but I think a pretty little read-head enjoys plucking them off and using them as trees for barbies and such.  Here's our plant, below.

I recently stumbled upon a new gardening endeavor!  Love those!  We had cherries and I got this silly notion in my head that I might be able to grow more cherries from one of the cherry pits.  I decided to wash the pits/seeds and then place them in a small bowl of water to soak.  The cherry pits have been soaking in water for the last two days (I just wanted to see if I noticed a difference in the seed barrier breaking down, but nothing)..  I found this tutorial letting me know that not only can I grow cherry trees from the seeds/pits of cherries, but they can grow up to 8 feet high!!  Whewww buddy!

http://www.ehow.com/how_5040799_plant-cherry-trees-seed.html

Photo Credit- (Country Brook Farms.com, 2010)
http://www.countrybrookfarms.com/Fruit_Trees.html

We are going to attempt to grow a cherry tree by planting about 8 seeds.  I plan on decoupaging a tin can to use as the cherry seeds new, temporary, home.  :)  Pictures coming soon!  Wish us luck.

Little Hands and Beans

Harmony and I have several gardening adventures that I usually find on preschool or elementary school science project websites.  Of course, we do so many gardening projects because I haven't been blessed with a green thumb and I tend to ..over water and kill all of our fun projects.  This gardening endeavor I actually remember doing in my science class when I was in fifth grade!!  Luckily, for Harmony, our plant is growing like a weed!

What did we do?

Bought an $.88 bag of Pinto Beans from Wally World.  We soaked about 20 beans overnight.  I know that that is A LOT of beans, but I'm not sure which ones are going to actually germinate growth so I selected more than necessary for hopeful germination.  We then drained the water the next morning, dampened a paper toilet, folded it in half, and then placed both paper towel and seeds (up to five) in a zip lock bag.  I want to say that about fifty percent of our beans actually were able to be planted, quite a lot more than I had intended.  The remaining either had mold growth from the bag moisture or didn't sprout at all.  Instead of throwing the remainder, unused beans out, you can throw them in your compost pile or in your garden.

For more information on creating a compost pile, click this link:
http://www.gardenguides.com/2143-guide-composting.html

After about four-five days you have a sustained growth that is allowable for you to plant in a pretty pot, recycled tin can, or container, with soil.  We also recycle glass jars from spaghetti and other store bought items to use as glasses, so I utilized these for a small bean that Harmony wanted as her very own.  :)  It works like a green house for the little sprout.













Science Project Link:
http://www.brighthub.com/education/homework-tips/articles/45956.aspx