Mustard Seeds on a Sponge

Miss Rahman led the children in an interesting experiment this week. They placed mustard seeds on wet sponges and left them under a layer of plastic wrap for a few days. When the children returned to school today, they were amazed to see that many of the seeds had sprouted - complete with a mini root system and a pair of little green leaves.

When we asked the children how the seeds could sprout without being planted in soil, they had some interesting explanations.

Wanting the explore the seeds/sprouts further, we placed them on our science table along with petri dishes, tweezers, and a high powered microscope. The children spent time teasing the sprouts apart and examining them in great depth. They noticed the seeds had a distinct smell coming from them.

Ontario Curriculum Expectations this activity fulfilled includes:

1.3 express their thoughts (e.g., on a science discovery, on something they have made) and share experiences (e.g., experiences at home,

cultural experiences)

2.3 demonstrate self-motivation, initiative, and confidence in their approach to learning by selecting and completing learning tasks (e.g., choose learning centres independently, try something new, persevere with tasks)

1.1 ask questions about and describe some natural occurrences, using their own observations and representations (e.g., drawings, writing)

2.2 make predictions and observations before and during investigations

2.4 communicate results and findings from individual and group investigations (e.g., explain and/or show how they made their structure; state simple conclusions from an experiment; record ideas using pictures, numbers, labels)