We planted bean plants back in September, but as we approach Spring, many teachers are teaching the plant life cycle and parts of a plants now, so I thought I’d share the method I used, so maybe you can use it too! Many of you have probably planted beans in zip-lock bags at one time or another. It’s a great way to do it- doesn’t take up much space and they grow really quickly. I did this when I was in school! But, our class didn’t use zip-lock bags…
We used CD cases! We collected about 12 CD cases so that there would be enough for everyone to share with a partner. Then we used potting soil to plant our beans.
Day One:
Watering the bean:
Watching it grow!
Measuring its growth:
Recording observations:
Labeling the parts of the plant:
Tada!
Tips:
- The hinges of the CD case should be at the top. That way you can stand them up and dirt won’t fall out. Also this leaves a nice hole at the top for watering the plants with droppers.
- Plant your bean high in the soil. If you plant it toward the bottom the roots will grow out the bottom!
- Tape the bottom shut. This will keep roots from growing out the bottom, and curious fingers from opening the case.
- Use masking tape and permanent markers to label whose plant is whose.
- Around day 5 or so I untaped the cases overnight so that they could have a little bit of space to grow. I taped them back in the morning. By day 7 or so, you will be ready to label your plants. We used paint pens.
- Plant your bean with the concave side down. It should resemble the letter “n,” not the letter “u.” I didn’t tell my kids this. I just let them discover it… which was a nice learning experience. Just depends on which way you’d rather teach it.
To record our observations we used this sheet from Green Education Foundation.
Happy planting!
What a brilliant idea!
Cool! Has anyone grown a pet TickleMe Plant yet? OMG…this plant is getting so much attention as it moves like an animal when you Tickle It!
See video and get the greenhouse.
http://www.ticklemeplant.com
Or just search pet TickleMe Plant to grow the only house plant that MoVes when you Tickle It!
Love the cd cases great idea!
I really like this idea, and they look so pretty lined up in the window. A couple of friends and I want to start homeschooling our preschoolers and this seems like a wonderful idea, much nicer than the plastic baggies.
omg! i have got to try this with my kids. ok, time for the stupid question. where’d you get the beans? are they just dried beans from the grocery store? like a lima bean or something? thank you so much for sharing this idea!
Honestly, I got them from the teacher down the hall! But yes, I believe they are just regular old lima beans from the grocery store.
thankyou!!!
You’re amazing! This is such a great idea. I’m pinning it and using it with my boys next year when we do our plant unit study. Thanks!
Thanks! I’m glad you like the idea! I know your boys will have fun!
Were these dried lima beans? Last year I had a huge problem with the beans rotting instead of growing! Maybe I watered them too much!
Yes, that’s what they are! Oh, no! Maybe they needed more sun too?
How often do you have to water it?
We tried to water ours every day, but some days we didn’t get around to it and of course we didn’t water them on the weekends. And we were using tiny water droplets, so I’d let each group water theirs for a couple of minutes and then rotate. That kind of gives you an idea of how much water we used. Sorry it’s not more black and white!
This is a wonderful idea!! I am going to suggest it to my Cub Scouts
thank you for sharing!
Cecilia
very cool
I’m going to share this with the first grade team at my school, they do a planting unit each spring! I know they will love this idea. Teachers need to share more great ideas like this one, thanks so much!
Michelle
St. Charles, IL
These are really great! Much better than ziploc bags. I wonder if a ribbon could be strung through the hinge so they could be hung…
You know, I bet you could loop a ribbon through… good idea!
Reblogged this on Central Florida Nannies and commented:
A great idea from 2busybrunettes to teach children about plant life.
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I’m so eager to use this idea in conjunction with a science experiment we are doing with our Classical Conversations kids. Thank you SO much for sharing!
You’re welcome! Glad it was useful for you!
Thanks for this idea!
Very nice idea! I want to plant a lemon. Let’s see what’s gonna happen!
Thank you! Wonderful idea! We did this with some of our CC friends today…Looking forward to seeing the progress of the plant.
You’re welcome! I hope it goes well for y’all!
Don’t know for sure what happened, but our beans are growing mold and rotting. I wonder if it could have been the beans we used. They were pinto beans and they were quite old. They looked fine…
Oh, no! I’m sorry. = ( Could it be too much water and not enough sun?
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amazing idea , will surely try in my kindergarten
To water the bean, did you just sort of stick the eye dropper into the edge of the CD case?
Yes m’am! Make sure the crack is at the top when you plant the bean.
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How come your cd cases don’t have the center spot in them that like you clip the cd into? I figure when I go to look for CD cases today they will probably have that in them, and I don’t think it will look as cool.
I popped the tray that holds the cd out. This is just the outer shell that you are seeing. Great question!
Love it can’t wait to try this!
Wonderful idea! It sure beats taping the plastic bags to the window:) Will certainly add it to my workshop “must shares” list! Thanks for sharing.
im doing ur idea for my science fair project
Brilliant idea. I have pinned a lot of your ideas. Excited to try it with my sixth graders.
great! can i put the pictures and text on my website off course with referral to you?
Sure!
Sono una insegnante di scuola dell’infanzia , con i miei bambini di 5 anni abbiamo provato questo esperimento veramente originale! Spero di vedere i fagioli germogliare e crescere. Grazie di cuore!
I LOVE this!!! Totally teaching this next week with my kinders!
Could you use flower seeds and do you think these could be easily transplanted to clay pots for mothers day?
I don’t know. You could always try it. I have juts always heard of teachers using beans.
What a great idea!! Can’t wait to try it with my toddlers
What a great idea! Is it okay if I use one or two of these pictures on my website? I’ve already put in a link back to here and brief description, but I figured I should ask before I use your pictures.
Of course!