🌱 Germination Jar
Watch a bean seed sprout inside a glass jar — see the root grow down and the shoot grow up day by day!
🧰 What you need
🔬 Steps
- 1
Crumple several damp (not soaking wet) paper towels and stuff them into the jar.
- 2
Push 3–4 seeds between the paper towel and the glass — press them against the side so you can see them.
💡 Push seeds about halfway up the jar — not too near the top or bottom. - 3
Add a little water to keep the paper towels moist but not waterlogged.
💡 Water little and often — seeds need moisture but will rot if soaking wet. - 4
Place the jar in a warm spot with indirect light. Check every day and add water if the towels start to dry out.
- 5
Watch over 5 days: you'll see the seed swell, the root appear and grow down, then the green shoot push up!
🧠 The Science
A seed contains a baby plant (embryo) and enough food to start growing. When a seed gets water, warmth, and air, germination begins. The seed coat softens, the embryo swells, and the first root (called the radicle) pushes out and grows downward — this is gravitropism. The shoot (called the plumule) grows upward toward light — this is phototropism. This is why no matter which way you plant a seed, the root always grows down and the shoot always grows up!
📚 Related Lessons
- 🌴 Plants in Habitats — Plants have amazing adaptations — cacti store water in deserts, lotus floats in ponds, and pine trees shed snow!
- 🍇 Seeds and Fruits — Fruits grow from flowers and carry seeds — seeds travel by wind, water, animals, and even explosion to grow new plants!