Spring: A Season for Growing and Learning

Spring is pushing its way into my neighborhood. The snow piles are almost completely melted and the hyacinths are peeking through the soil. Spring is a season for growth and renewal. It is a time for cleaning the cobwebs and dust bunnies from the remote corners of our homes, and for injecting renewed vitality into the learning plans for our children.

Spring is the perfect time for studying plants in a science-math cross-content unit.  The four variables that most lend themselves to study in a plant unit are: type of seed, type of soil, amount of water, and amount of light.   Let’s look at a few ideas for each.

Type of Seed:  There are two considerations when choosing seeds to use for this project.  First is the speed of germination.  Patience can begin to run thin when staring at a pot of dirt for sixteen days with no sign of life.  Bean or pea seeds are often a good choice for quick sprouting.  The second consideration is the purpose of the newly sprouted plants.  Do you plan to discard the plants at the conclusion of the project or do you have outdoor space where you can transfer the seedlings?  If transferring the seedlings is a possibility, you may want to choose a variety of vegetable or flower that appeals to your child.  Harvest day will have infinitely more meaning when children harvest veggies or cut flowers that were grown under their supervision.  Another idea is to plant multiple types of seeds, tracking the germination race to see which type of seed makes the first appearance.

Type of Soil:  One fascinating way to watch seeds grow is with no soil at all. Place seeds inside a clear glass jar, using damp paper towels to keep the seeds pinned against the glass.  In a few short days, your child will see the seed begin to sprout and have an up close look at what usually happens under the dirt and beyond their view.  You can also plant seeds in multiple soils such as dirt from your yard (if available), potting soil, sand, etc.  Be careful to plant seeds in each medium at the same depth to limit the variables.  Then watch to see when the different seeds germinate.  For this experiment, it is also valuable to observe the continued growth of each plant.  Seeds are tiny food storehouses, so the growing medium will not have as much of an impact on germination as on continued growth, once the plant is dependent on nutrients from the soil for growth.  If possible, purchase or make growing containers with one clear side so that root growth can also be observed.

Amount of Water: This is a classic experiment.  Begin by planting several seeds, each in its own container.  Then water each seed on the same schedule but with varying amounts of water.  Depending on the size of the container, the water could be measured in tablespoons, cups or metric units.  Perhaps there are four seeds which are given ¼ cup, ½ cup, ¾ cup, and 1 cup of water respectively. Observe and record the rate of germination and growth.

Amount of Light:  This is another classic experiment seen at science fairs across the country.  Place some seeds in direct sunlight, others in indirect sunlight, and still others in relative dark.  Observe and record not only the rate of germination but the rate of growth for a few weeks past germination.

I mentioned that this is a great unit for science-math cross-content studies so let’s get to the math part.  It is crucial in a study like this to keep records of observations, and to take measurements of growth.  These are the areas of math inclusion.  Studies like this help children to see the real-world applications of math concepts.  The first step is to specify the variable being studied and to design the record keeping system.  Each of the four variables described above can be studied through an observation of the passage of time and growth.  Therefore, a calendar and ruler will be important tools.  The water study will also require an appropriate water measuring device.  The recording of the passage of time and growth points is only the first step in the math.  More advanced students should be encouraged to calculate comparisons among different plants within each variable.  Rate of growth over time can be calculated as well as the generation of hypotheses about future growth with observations of actual growth and calculations of those differences.

While it is not necessary to link every learning opportunity to the season, Spring is a great time for learning choices to reflect the environment through a study of plants.  Please share your learning experiences with plants by commenting here, or you can find me on Twitter @TrostleMichelle.  Happy growing!

Impossible, Part 2: I fell down the stairs, again.

Hold on to that handrail! According to the National Safety Council, more than 7.9 million people are injured in falls each year. At least five times during my years, I have been part of that statistic by falling down an entire flight of stairs. 

The first fall was just before my fifth birthday. I fell down the stairs to the basement.  My very pregnant mother ran down the stairs after me; that’s when labor started.  I’m not sure what was more traumatic at that point in my life, the fall and resulting wrist injury or the arrival of my little sister.  With maturity and perspective, I can say with certainty that my sister is a blessing and only the fall was traumatic.

The most recent fall, and by far the worst of all, was February 15.  The fall happened around 7:00 in the evening but I have no memory from lunchtime that day through waking up the next morning in a hospital room.  I told my husband that I twisted my ankle at the top of the stairs but I don’t remember that conversation.  He heard the thud, thud, thud of the fall and found me unconscious in a heap at the bottom of the stairs, blocking the front door.  My head had hit the metal front door with enough force to leave a sizable dent in the door and crack the wood molding.  If my life was a cartoon, I would have had little birdies circling my head.

The most important thing that happened during that fall was that I had some sense knocked into my head and learned some important lessons.

1.  My husband is great at handling a crisis.  He called an ambulance and made sure that I got appropriate medical attention.  He was my advocate when I couldn’t advocate for myself. (Isn’t that funny…advocate and advocate are spelled the same. Gotta love English!)

2. Old habits really do die hard.  This conversation I had with my husband in the emergency room during my missing memory period is evidence of that fact:  Me: “Where are my glasses? Why can I see?” Mike: “You had LASIK almost a year ago.” Me: “Oh, that doesn’t sound like me.”  I haven’t worn glasses for almost a year and yet one of my first thoughts on waking up with a concussion is to reach for glasses.  Maybe some habits never die.

3. Missing memories can result in feelings of helplessness and inadequacy.  I doubt that I will ever get back that missing 20 or so hours of memory and I’m not sure that I want to remember the fall.  However, I still struggle with that black hole in my memory bank. This gives me a new level of appreciation and love for my Grandma and Mike’s Grammy who both struggled with memory issues in their last days on Earth.  I pray that I was able to give them the gift of dignity in the moment and not orbit them around the black hole of memory loss.

Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  It seems impossible that God could use something like falling down the stairs to teach me important lessons about life and the ones I love.  And yet, He did just that.