Germinating seeds in baggies is a great introduction to hydroponics. First, wet some paper towels. Second, place them in baggies. Third, add beans or corn. Finally, tape them to the table and watch them grow!
Mr. Grow Plans an Introduction to Hydroponics
Our favorite fifth grade teacher sat at the side table with his teaching partner. “Take a look at this life science standard,” he said.
Mrs. Washington looked at the document and read aloud:
NGSS 5-LS1-1 Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
“Hmm,” said Mr. Grow. “How should we begin?”
Mrs. Washington paused in thought. “In my opinion,” she said, “germinating seeds in baggies would work well.”
“But haven’t they already done baggie gardens? Actually, I think even first graders do it.”
His teaching partner’s eyes twinkled. “Sure, but it’s something that never gets old. As a matter of fact, I enjoy it year after year. Furthermore, we’ll give it an official-sounding name: An Introduction to Hydroponics.”
Germinating Bean Seeds in Baggies
“Okay, you’ve convinced me.”
Mr. Grow walked to his science cabinet and opened the door. Without hesitation, he found what he was looking for.
“Actually, I already have everything we need.” Without delay, he plopped a bag of lima beans, a roll of masking tape, a box of baggies, and some paper towel on the table.
“Great,” said Mrs. Washington. “As you may already know, germinating seeds in baggies doesn’t really work with Ziploc bags. Instead, kids need the kind with the flaps. Otherwise, air doesn’t circulate, and the beans rot. Yours will work fine.”
“While they’re germinating seeds in baggies,” Mr. Grow added, “I’d like to tape them to their desks. That way, they can observe them every day.”
“Yes, and that will also help them grow better. Unfortunately, some teachers try taping them to the window. Because of the extreme temperature changes, the seeds don’t do well.”
Mr. Grow tapped his pencil on the table. “Actually, we can extend this introduction to hydroponics. These seeds are dicots. Beans are dicots. You know, two cotyledons. Why don’t we also have them grow monocots? That would provide more evidence that all plants need air and water.”
“But not soil.” Mrs. Washington nodded in agreement.
Germinating Corn Seeds in Baggies
Immediately, Mr. Grow returned to the science cupboard. On the shelf labeled “Plants,” he found what he was after: a bag of corn seeds.
“I knew I’d find a use for these one day,” he chuckled. “Who knew that we’d be germinating seeds in baggies as an introduction to hydroponics?”
Introduction to Hydroponics Bulletin Board
“When I taught fourth grade life science,” Mrs. Washington said, “I once created a germination bulletin board.” Quickly, she pulled out her phone and began searching. “Here!”
Mr. Grow looked at the photo. “Hey, that would extend our introduction to hydroponics. In addition to germinating seeds in baggies, they would let them grow to adulthood. Over time, kids would realize that plants only need air and water to grow.”
“And a little sunshine,” Mrs. Washington teased. “This ties in beautifully with the ecosystems unit we’ll do later in the year. After all, kids first need to know about producers.”
Enjoy Teaching
Over the following weeks, Mr. Grow and Mrs. Washington’s students happily observed their baggie gardens. Afterward, they engaged in the engineering design process and even grew plants from kitchen scraps. Not surprisingly, all the hydroponics activities for kids made the educators enjoy teaching even more.
