Children are fascinated by the fact that a seed can grow into a plant. You’ve probably already planted seeds with your child in order to watch them grow into plants. Here’s a slightly different way to show your child the actual process of germination that allows them to actually see the plant emerge from the seed.
Materials: seeds, paper towel, plastic sandwich bag, magnifying glass
Procedure:
1. Fold a paper towel so that it fits flat inside a plastic sandwich bag.
2. Soak the paper towel thoroughly with water. You want the towel very wet from end to end, but not dripping with excess water. Place the paper towel in the bag and lay flat.
3. Place seeds on the paper towel so that they are spaced out away from each other. Press each firmly into the wet paper towel. (Hint: Although any type of seed will work, small, fast-germinating seeds work best. Whole birdseed such as millet works very well.)
4. Seal the baggie to conserve water and place the bag in a place where it will be undisturbed.
5. Gently slide the paper towel out of the baggie each day and observe the seeds with a magnifying glass. Depending on the type of seed used, you should start to see the seeds germinate within a few days to a week.
6. Between daily viewings be sure to gently replace the paper towel into the baggie and reseal. Re-wet the paper towel if it begins to dry out. You should be able to germinate the plants long enough to see the first leaves develop.
Lab Variations:
- When the seedlings begin to produce leaves, transfer to soil and continue to grow into a larger plant.
- Prepare more than one baggie with the same type of seed. Place the baggies in different environments (temperature, sunlight, etc.) to see how environmental factors affect seed germination.
- Prepare more than one baggie with the same type of seed. Put differing amounts of water into each baggie to see how different amounts of available water affect seed germination.
- Prepare more than one baggie using a different type of seed in each. Compare germination times of different types of seeds.
