Mystery Plant Race

Gorgeous blooms really wow the kiddos.

Check out my mad graphing skills...wobbly as a Dr. Seuss tree!

Spring is time for flowers, and our Mystery Plants bloomed right when we all needed a boost of color and a promise of more to come.

After Christmas, when they were a little cheaper, I picked up four Amaryllis bulbs.  They came with pots and growing medium, which was a bonus. Near the end of January, I made a big deal of passing around the bulbs and discussing what might grow from them- nice practice in making predictions. Then the kiddos worked in small groups to follow directions and get them planted.

The next day, we measured the plants and took a look at the graphs we would use to record the growth.  We planned to measure the plants every Wednesday for about 6 weeks, but two of them never really took off, gave us half-hearted blooms on stumpy stems, and then died back.  So by unanimous decision, we adjusted the plan and stopped measuring those after a couple of weeks with no growth. 

My firsties were SO excited as the remaining plants shot up over 16 inches then the flowers opened, huge scarlet beauties, and they were just over the moon.

The flowers are slowly wilting now, but they lasted long enough to really brighten up the room.

I love this project for the way it extends math and science thinking, and the relatively low cost- I can't wait to do it again next year!