Materials:

• 8 - beans - Pinto or lima work well
• 2 - paper cups
• potting soil
• water

Procedure:

1. Fill each paper cup half full with soil.
2. Plant four beans in each cup.
3. Cover the beans with approximately 1/2 inch of soil.
4. Place one cup in a sunny spot.
5. Place the other in a dark place.
6. Water the soil in each cup just enough to dampen the soil.
7. Check the cups daily to make sure they are moist.
8. Add water as needed to keep the soil moist.
9. Watch for the beans to sprout after about one week.
10. Record the results from both cups in this table.

Results:

After about a week the beans will start to sprout. Those in the sunlight will grow well. At first those in the dark will also grow well.

Water the sprouts for three or four weeks, or even longer and monitor the growth of each. A spoonful of water every four days or so is enough.

Watch for differences between the plants growing in the Sun and those exposed only to dark.

You will discover that your beans need the Sun to keep growing. All plants, animals, and people do as well.

     

              
             

©Copyright 1998 Elizabeth Beckett, Holly Bernitt, and Vishwa Chandra.