Tree Hugging Family - Living Green

Just How Strong Are Plants?

by Jennifer on September 9th, 2007

Last week’s Nature Detective was too hard for my son and Peggy had the only guess with solar panels — was she right? Why yes she was. For a while we’ll be putting the game on hold until I figure out a better balance of hard for the kiddos.

In exchange — a cool nature experiment.

This experiment is fun for kids and uses stuff you likely have around the house.

You need:

• Dried beans (maybe six or so)
• A milk carton
• Soil from your garden or yard
• Plaster of Paris

Prep work:

1. Soak your beans overnight in clean water.
2. Wash out your milk carton, cut the top off, and fill it half way with soil.

The experiment process:

1. Water your soil in the milk carton until it’s fully wet but not oozing water — it should feel like a wet sponge.
2. Plant your beans about 3/4 of an inch deep in the soil. (make sure to plant them a bit apart so they can grow).
3. Make your Plaster of Paris mixture. To make it correctly you can follow directions on the container; but you really only need a little bit so you can just spoon a bit out and add water until you get a mixture that’s paste-like but still easy to pour.
4. Pour a thin layer of your plaster mixture over the top of the soil until it’s all the way covered.

Wait a few days and see what happens.

For more cool kid-friendly experiments that involve plants, sun,. and soil check out Gardening Wizardry for Kids by L. Patricia Kite.

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POSTED IN: Grow Green Kids, Nature Experiment