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Grow It 3-5 / Week 02 / Grow It Day
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Week 02 · Seeds and Germination

Grow It Day

Grow It Day: Open a Seed
// How a sleeping seed wakes up
⏱ about 15 min

Grow It Day: Open a Seed

Rocket sets out soaked beans, a plate and a hand lens. "Today we peek inside!"

Raven watches as a grown-up splits a bean in half. "What do you notice? There is a tiny plant!"

Nova hovers over the plate. "Look for the coat, the food and the baby," she hints.

Then the family plans a brand-new test.

  1. A seed has a seed coat, an embryo and stored food.
  2. A bean stores food in two seed leaves called cotyledons.
  3. All seeds need water, oxygen and the right temperature to germinate.
  4. The root comes out first. Then the shoot grows up.
  5. A fair test changes only one thing.
◇ OPEN A SEED AND START A TEST
A grown-up soaks a few dry beans in water overnight.
The grown-up gently peels off the seed coat and splits one bean open.
Use a hand lens to find the coat, two seed leaves and the embryo.
Now set up two clear cups with paper towels and three beans each.
Label one cup "water" and keep its towel damp.
Label one cup "no water" and keep its towel dry.
Put both cups in the same warm spot.
Check both cups each day next week and count the sprouts.
Safety first
A grown-up does the splitting and any cutting.
Never eat the beans. Nothing goes in your mouth.
Wash your hands after touching the beans.
For a grown-up
Split the soaked bean gently with your fingers. No knife is needed.
Point out the embryo: a tiny leaf and root tucked at one edge.
Ask: which cup do you predict will sprout, and why?
SEED INSPECTOR
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
What are the two big halves inside the bean?
In our new test, what is the one thing we change?
One cup gets no water. Which seed need is missing from that cup?
WHY THIS EXERCISESeeds need water to germinate, so we predict only the damp cup will sprout.

Brilliant seed science! Next week we follow a plant through its whole life cycle.

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