Standards (Microsoft
Word Document)
Materials:
- bulbs
- scale
- yarn and rulers
- tape measure
- journals
Background
Check out : Planting Bulbs Outdoors and Forcing Bulbs Indoors
-Provide each group of students with several different types of bulbs.
- Have students weigh each bulb and measure its diameter. How can you accurately measure the diameter of a round object like a bulb? Using a piece of yarn and a ruler works well, but encourage students to come up with their own methods. Have them record these observations in a journal, using appropriate units of measurement.
- Have students read the bulb packages to find out how far apart to plant the bulbs. Ask, How large does our bulb garden need to be in order to fit the number of bulbs we have? Once they have calculated the appropriate size, students can measure out the garden plot.
- Plant bulbs according to packaging recommendations. In general, plant large bulbs —such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths — six inches deep, and smaller bulbs — like crocus and grape hyacinth — four inches deep. Have students measure and calculate the depth to plant each type of bulb in the package. Ask, How can you make sure you dig deep enough holes?
- Once the bulbs have sprouted, students can measure their height every day and record their data in a table. Have students graph bulb height over time and calculate the growth rate. They might also choose two different types of bulbs to measure and compare.
- Have students record the dates that bulbs were planted and when they sprouted and bloomed. Ask, How many days did it take for the bulbs to sprout? To flower?
- If you do not have outdoor space available for planting bulbs, try forcing bulbs indoors.
Making Connections
- Did all of the bulbs sprout and flower at the same time? Did certain types of bulbs take longer than others?
- Of the bulbs you planted, how many sprouted? How many bloomed? Have students calculate the percentages.
- Ask students, Which plant was the first to sprout? To bloom? Which plant grew the tallest? Is this what you expected? What would you do differently next time to make more accurate predictions? What new questions do you have?
- Have students look at a catalog to learn the expected heights for each bulb. Did your plants grow to this height? What are some environmental factors that could have affected plant growth (e.g., hard winter, drought, early warming, late frost)?
- Ask students, Who might be interested in the information you have learned? How can you share this information?
- Students can use the data they have collected to create an information label for each type of bulb in their collection. The label can include information on how deep to plant each type of bulb, when they will sprout, how tall they will be, and how long they will take to bloom.
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