Have you ever been to a corn maze in the fall? If so, you probably noticed how fun it is to use your brain power and find your way through. It turns out that plants outside love mazes too! Give a bean plant an exciting challenge by building a plant maze.
What you need:
- Shoe box
- Cardboard pieces or cardstock
- Scissors
- Tape
- Sprouted bean plant in a small container
What you do:
First, you’ll want to flip your shoe box onto one of it’s shorter sides so that it stands up nice and tall. Cut a hole in the short side facing the sky. This will be the exit of our plant maze.
Next, take your pieces of cardstock or cardboard and tape them in to the inside of the box, sort of like shelves. Make sure to leave an open spot so your plant can maneuver through. If you do forget to leave an open spot, no worries! Simply, cut a hole in the piece so that plant can move through the plant maze.
Once you’ve set up your maze course, insert your bean plant into the shoe box at the bottom. Close the lid of the box.
Set the box in a very sunny spot and wait to see what happens after a week or so! Make sure you continue to water your plant in the meantime!
Questions to consider:
- What did you see happening to the plant after a few days?
- Why did we put the plant maze in a sunny area?
- In what ways do plants depend on the sun?
Why it works:
Our plant maze demonstrates how much flowers, vines, and all other flora love the sun! Your little bean plant maneuvered around all of the obstacles you put in its way to grow towards the sunlight.
Plants need sunlight. Why? They use the energy they gather in their leaves from the sun in order to fuel a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is how plants make their own food! They combine carbon dioxide from the air with water to create a tasty snack! The sun makes sure they’re full of energy so they can get cooking.
