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Sponge Seedlings: Growing Sprouts Out of Thin Air?
Lauren Renfro | October 21, 2011 | Comment
This is a basic activity we did in Strands as a fun way to examine plant science up close. Many students of all ages – and adults – do not understand how plants get food. The most popular misconception is that plants get their food from soil. In reality, it is photosynthesis that allows plants to absorb food. Photosynthesis is the process that plants absorb sunlight to create their own energy (or food). We decided to find out for ourselves if this is true, so we planted seeds without any soil at all. Basically, we broke down the process of plant science to its most basic level to help build a better understanding from the ground up.
Step 1: We soaked our sponges in water, squeezing out any excess water so that the sponge would be wet, but not dripping. Then we placed it on a plate. Each child was able to pick the sponge color of their choice; they squeezed the sponge until they could squeeze no more!
Step 2: We evenly sprinkled the mustard seeds over the sponges and then placed the plate in a well-lit area. This was the favorite part of our experiment. They loved watching the tiny seeds fall into the holes of the sponge.
Sept 3: We watched and waited. The mustard seeds were planted on October 11, 2011. After 6 days of keeping our sponges nice and damp and full of sunlight, we had mustard seed sprouts. The kids were absolutely amazed when they saw how fast their seeds grew!
Mustard seeds are from the mustard plant, which is a vegetable related to broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage. They are an important spice in many regional foods.
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