Beanstalk in a Box

Fifth grade students share the same natural curiosity as younger elementary students, but they are ready for more challenging science concepts. In fifth grade, students explore plant and animal adaptations – ways that living things are well equipped to survive in their environments. In animals, this may mean camouflage, special body parts, and unique behaviors. Some common plant adaptations include unique seeds designed for survival, thick skin, and dormancy.

Here’s a fun activity you can do at home with your fifth grader to explore another plant adaptation, called phototropism. Phototropism is a plant’s ability to grow toward a light source. This beanstalk in a box will give your fifth grader a glimpse of phototropism in action, while helping him sprout new understandings of plant adaptations.

Note: Kids (and parents) should see bean sprout activity in approximately 4 days.

What You Need:

• Long shoebox with a removable top
• Small peat pot
• Pole bean seed
• Potting soil
• Scissors
• Extra cardboard
• Tape

What You Do:

1. Fill the peat pot with potting soil. Plant the bean in the pot. Water the seed.
2. Place in a sunny window and water daily until the bean plant has sprouted.
3. In the meantime, prepare the box. On one end of the shoebox, cut a small circular hole, about the size of a half-dollar.
4. Cut a square of cardboard to size so that it can be inserted in the shoebox to create a wall. Cut a second square the same size.
5. In each of the cardboard wall pieces, cut a circular hole about the same size as the hole cut in the shoebox. Position and tape each wall inside the shoebox, so that you’ve left space in the center for the bean plant, and there is a wall on either side of the plant. There should be some space between each cardboard wall and the inside walls of the shoebox as well.
6. Put the sprouted plant inside the shoebox, and close the lid. (Note: If there are any other openings in the box besides the one you cut, cover it with tape so no light can get in.)
7. Place the entire box near a sunny window, with the cut end facing the window. Ask your child to think about what he knows about plants, and predict what will happen as the bean plant grows.
8. Water the plant as needed, but be sure to take to a dark area before removing the cover of the box. Have your child observe the plant for changes. What color is it? (The plant may appear very pale, because it’s not getting enough sunlight to produce chlorophyll.) In which direction is it growing? What will happen when it hits a wall?
9. Ask your child to revise his predictions as he makes subsequent observations.
10. Over the course of the experiment, the bean plant will grow through the hole in the inner wall and out the hole in the end of the shoebox! Explain that this phenomenon is called phototropism, and it’s a special adaptation that allows plants to grow towards sunlight. Ask him to explain why this plant adaptation might be important to a plant’s survival.
11. Finally, remove the bean plant from the box, and either plant it outdoors, or allow it to grow near a window, where it can finally soak up some sunlight!