Seed Planting Fun

It was a very busy day in the lab on Tuesday, May 21st. The JK students and the 3rd grade students teamed up to plant pumpkin seeds (and a few sunflowers, too). We talked about what a seed needs to germinate, and decided that the USM greenhouse would be the best place to keep our little planters. The seed containers were made out of toilet paper rolls and a small piece of tape. The JK students recently did a big recycling project and understood the concept of reusing materials. They also knew that the containers would "decompose" in the soil once they were planted in the garden. I think the 3rd graders were very impressed with the knowledge the JK students had. After the seeds were planted, the trays of planters were carefully moved to the greenhouse, where each child got a chance to explore. They noticed how warm it was in there, and I explained how the shade, windows, and watering system worked. They also got a chance to observe the hydroponics tanks, and were amazed that plants don't actually need soil to grow. The children are looking forward to the garden planting day on May 31st. Wish us luck that the rain will subside so we can prepare the garden.