Materials
Styrofoam cups
Potting soil
Geranium seeds Digging sticks
Paper labels Crayons
Glue
Watering can
Instructions
1. Discuss what plants need to live: water, sunlight and soil.
2. Give each child two Styrofoam cups to fill with soil and a few geranium seeds.
3. Have the children color two labels each. One should say "Mr. Day" and the other "Mr.Night." Have children glue the labels on their plant cups.
4. Explain that the class will be conducting an experiment to see how important light is to thegrowth of a plant.
5. Invite the children to place Mr. Night plants in a dark spot, such as a classroom closet, andMr. Day plants in a sunny place.
6. For three weeks, children water their plants and monitor the growth patterns.
7. After three weeks, tell the children to compare their Mr. Day and Mr. Night plants. Whichplant is the largest? Greenest? Healthiest looking? Ask the children why they think one islarger than the other. What did Mr. Day have that Mr. Night did not? Why is sunlightnecessary for the plants?
