Materials
Jack and the Beanstalk
green bean seeds
small pots for planting (3 to 6")
potting soil
photocopies of Jack and the castle, one for each child
crayons or markers
scissors
clear contact paper or laminate sheets
oak tag or heavy paper
garden stakes cut 12 to 15" long
Instructions
1. Read Jack and the Beanstalk. Pass around a few bean seeds. Explain to the
children that they are going to plant their own "Magic Seeds."
2. Give each child a small pot. Ask them to fill their pots 3/4 full with potting soil.
Ask them to make three small holes, place one seed in each hole, and cover
with more soil. Water.
3. Encourage the children to color and cut out the pictures of Jack and the
castle.
4. Cover the front and back of the pictures with clear contact paper.
5. Give each child a garden stake. Help the children tape their picture of Jack
about 4" from the bottom of the stake and tape the castle to the top.
6. Ask the children to place the garden stakes into their pots.
7. As the vines grow, wrap them around the garden stake to encourage
climbing.
More to do
Science: Gather five small cotton balls, one clear plastic glove, five bean seeds,
and an eyedropper. Place a cotton ball in the tip of each finger on the glove.
Place one bean seed on top of the cotton. Taping just the back top of the glove,
hang it in a window. Using the eyedropper, moisten the cotton balls (be sure to
keep them moist).
Author Note: We could not "see" our beans growing in the soil so we did this
extension. We were then able to observe all the changes that our seeds were
going through. As the beans began to sprout on the cotton, our vine sprouts
began popping out of the soil.
