✿ A Growing Bulletin Board - How fun! ✿

Here in the Great White North, many of us have been feeling a need to see some more green.

 
It sounds like there's a good reason we crave the presence of plants. Researchers at the University of Illinois have found, "One secret weapon to help prevent having to deal with the common cold or flu may not be in your medicine cabinet, but on your windowsill." It's plants to the rescue! 

Luckily, Brenda Kovich is here to share this fabulous Growing Bulletin Board.

Of all the plant displays I have seen, I think this is my favorite because. . .

• Since it’s on a bulletin board, not on the window, these plants grow well even in the deep of winter. 
• Since one seed is planted each day, kids can truly see the day to day growth of these plants.
• If you will be teaching a plant unit later in the year, setting this bulletin board up now will assure that all your students have background knowledge when you teach your formal unit.
• It’s inexpensive and eye-catching!

Brenda has kindly shared the following directions.
 Materials Needed: 

     • 12-16 sandwich bags with flaps, not zippers

     • paper towels

     • dried beans* 

 Directions: 

     1. Staple the bags to bulletin board.

     2. Fold paper towels and place inside bags.

     3. Starting in the upper left-hand corner, label the bags (Day 1, Day 2, etc.)

     4. Starting in the lower right-hand corner, moisten one paper towel per day. Add three bean seeds to the front of the towel so they can be viewed.

     5. Watch them grow!

 How to Prevent Rotting:  

     • Staple sandwich bags so the tops remain slightly open. This allows air to circulate.

     • Keep paper towel damp at all times, but do not allow water to stand in the bottom of the baggie.

     • When you see dots of mold, change to a fresh paper towel.

 How to Germinate Seeds: 
• If seeds are not germinating (or growing), the paper towel is too dry. Add more water. 
• If paper towel dries completely, seeds will usually continue to grow. Just add more water. 
• To keep seeds growing on consecutive days, pack two baggies, two paper towels and six beans for the weekend. Start one set on Saturday and another on Sunday. Transfer to bulletin board on Monday.         

*Any dried beans that are normally used for cooking will work. 
 

Thanks so much for sharing, Brenda!