Aug. 31, 2005

Learning How Nature Grows above and below the Ground

When architect Frank Lloyd Wright was a boy, he learned about nature by watching things grow. You can watch a bean plant grow in your window by following these instructions for growing seeds between two pieces of clear glass, which will allow you to see how the plant grows above and below the ground.

Materials and Equipment

• 2 small pieces clear glass
• Small piece blotter paper or one sheet of absorbent paper toweling that has been folded several times to make it thicker
• 1 package bean seeds
• 2 rubber bands
• Small dish
• Water
• Sunny window

Procedure

Place one piece of glass on a table top and lay the blotter on top of it. Put the bean seed on the blotter and cover it with the second piece of glass making a sandwich of glass, blotter, seed, and glass. Fasten the sandwich together using rubber bands. Place it in a small dish and fill the dish with water. Draw the bean seed. You may wish to include the blotter, dish, and outline of the plastic in your drawing. When you have finished the drawing, put the dish in a warm, dark place. The seed must remain in the dark until the roots develop. When the bean leaves begin to sprout, place the dish in a window with the bean side facing the sun. Check the water in the dish every day. Add water when the dish is dry. Make a second drawing of the seed when it begins to sprout. Make a third drawing of the bean plant when you notice growth. When the bean has grown into a plant, you may wish to move it outdoors to a pot or plant it in the ground.

Spread your drawings, in the order you drew them, on a table and answer these questions:

How long did it take the seed to sprout? How long did it take the sprout to grow into a plant? Did the roots develop before the sprout? Did you see a pattern or a shape that repeated itself in the leaves of the plant? Did you see a pattern in the roots?

Reprinted with permission from Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids by Kathleen Thorne-Thomsen. Published by Chicago Review Press, distributed by Independent Publishers Group (www.ipgbook.com). Copyright © 1994 by Kathleen Thorne-Thomsen.

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