Look at our Beanie Babies!

We’re right in the middle of a plant unit. The kids are loving it and so am I!

Today we made our beanie babies.

After soaking some chick peas in water for about 15 hours, each child placed their very own chick pea into a snack-sized baggie with a damp paper towel. They decorated a name label and I added some wool to make it into a necklace.

They wore their beanie babies under their shirts all day long because they’re learning that seeds need warmth and moisture to sprout, but they DON’T need sunlight.

Their job is to keep their “baby” safe all day, then the chick peas go into dark cubbies after school.  When the beans sprout we’ll move them into pots.

We also dissected some kidney beans. Have you ever done that? It’s great fun.

First we observed the soaked bean and I wrote their observations on a chart.

Then the kids carefully peeled off the seed coat and even more carefully pulled the cotyledons apart (I won’t remember that word a week from now ~ haha!).

They used their magnifying glasses to see if they could find the little embryo.

After that, they glued the parts of the bean onto this sheet and labelled the diagram.

Tomorrow we’re spending the day at Butchart Gardens. If you’ve heard of Victoria, then you’ve probably heard of the gardens. They’re very well known and absolutely gorgeous!

Have a great evening!