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Science Launch G3 / Week 05 / Wednesday
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Week 05 · Life Cycles

Wednesday

Seeds wake up
// Born, grow, make young, die
⏱ about 15 min

Wednesday: Seeds Wake Up

Rocket drops a dry bean into a cup of soil. "Grow!" he says. Nothing happens.

"It takes time," Raven laughs. "But what do you notice? We cannot see inside the soil."

Nova hovers over a clear plastic bag. "What if the seed could grow where you can watch it?" she asks.

Rocket grins. "A see-through garden!"

Your investigation

You will watch a seed germinate. To germinate means a seed starts to sprout and grow.

  • Three or four large dry bean seeds
  • A paper towel
  • A clear zip-top plastic bag
  • Water
  • Tape
  • A sunny window
Safety first
Seeds are for growing, not eating. Nothing goes in your mouth.
Wash your hands after touching seeds.
A grown-up helps tape the bag to the window.
  1. Wet the paper towel. Squeeze out the extra water.
  2. Lay the seeds on the paper towel.
  3. Fold the towel over the seeds.
  4. Slide the towel into the bag and seal it.
  5. Tape the bag to a sunny window.
  6. Check the seeds each day for a week. Draw what you see.

A seed holds a tiny plant inside, with a small root and a small shoot.

It also holds stored food, wrapped in a seed coat.

When the seed soaks up water, it swells and starts to grow.

MAKE A PREDICTION
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which part will come out of the seed first?
What does a seed need to start growing in your bag?
DayWhat I see
1
2
3
4
5
Inside a seedTrue or false?
A seed has a tiny plant inside it.?
A seed has stored food inside it.?
A seed coat wraps around the outside.?
A seed grows best with no water at all.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEA seed holds a tiny plant and food in a coat. Water wakes it up.

Parts of a seed

Every seed has three main parts.

The tiny plant inside has a small root and a small shoot.

The stored food feeds the tiny plant as it starts to grow.

The seed coat wraps around the outside and protects it.

The outside wrapper of a seed is the seed ____.
The part that comes out first is the ____.
What word means a seed starts to sprout?
WHY THIS EXERCISETo germinate is to start sprouting and growing.

Your see-through garden is growing! Tomorrow we meet animals with very different life cycles.

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