Thinning Rationale

Question: It's hard to convince my students of the need to thin their precious seedlings. What's the best approach?

Answer: Nobody likes killing those baby plants! Planting fewer seeds in the first place helps, but there is usually still some thinning to be done. To help illustrate the reason for it, you might try having the kids impersonate seedlings competing for air, water, light, and nutrients.



Do this along a wall or in a hallway. Allow about 3 feet (an arm's length) per child. Spread pieces of paper in two different colors evenly but randomly along the length of the floor and attach papers in two more colors on the wall up as high as the children can reach. There should be several papers of each color per child, but don't arrange them in any particular way. The papers on the floor represent water and nutrients. The papers on the wall represent light and air.



Line the kids up shoulder to shoulder (like crowded seedlings) and plant each one on a paper plate. At a signal, have them grab as many papers of all colors as they can without moving off the plate. They should try for at least one paper of each color. When all of the papers within reach are taken, survey your results.



Those who do not have at least one paper of each color die and sit down, giving their papers to their closest neighbors to use. Those standing survive and grow accordingly.



Now try it all over again, but start with the children a full arm's length apart (so they have about twice as much space as before). All seedlings should be able to survive this time!