Magic Beans!

Lima Bean Plant Growing Up and Out 

 Part of the joy of having children is experiencing life through their eyes. Things I take for granted are transformed into exciting adventures simply because they are brand new for my kids. In some ways, it’s like getting a fresh start in life and I love it.

Last week, Jayden’s class began a new project that had him practically jumping up and down with joy. He got to grow his own lima bean, nurturing it from a dry little kernel to a vibrant green plant. He adores his little lima bean green, and he’s learning all about the root system of the plant by watching it grow in real time.

If you have young children, this is a wonderful and easy project for them. All you need is an old CD case, some dirt, scotch tape, a dry lima bean and water.

Directions:

Take a dry lima bean and soak it in water for one day.

Pop Out the Plastic Insert

Open a CD case and pop out the hard plastic insert and booklet. That will leave you with an opening at the side of the case.

Our Little Lima Bean Sprout

This is the opening in the CD Case.
Pour the water in here.

Lima Bean After Watering

Lay the CD Case down, add a bit of dirt and put the lima bean in it, too.  Close the case and use scotch tape to secure the bottom and sides. Put your lima bean on a sunny windowsill and water it every day.

Lima Bean After 36 Hours

Lima Bean After 3 Days

And that’s it! The bean grows fast, so have your children look at it twice a day and follow its progress. For older kids, you can use this as a starting point for learning about root systems, photosynthesis and how plants make it possible for all life to exist!