Magic Beans and ... Science?

Last week, we learned the following poem:

The Seed

How does it know,
this little seed,
if it is to grow
to a flower or weed?
If it is to be
a vine or shoot,
or grow to a tree
with a long deep root?
A seed is so small,
where do you suppose
it stores up all
of the things it knows?           Aileen Fisher

And it started me thinking of really how magical seeds are, in their own way. In their little enclosed worlds they hold everything they need to eventually become a full-grown plant - a miracle, really!

And, of course, when I think of magical seeds it isn't long before I think of one of my favorite fairy tales, Jack and the Beanstalk. I have many versions, but the children opted for the one with the most gruesome pictures (of course).

After reading this as a fun introduction, I gave each child two seeds. Both seeds were Christmas Lima Beans, but one was much bigger than the other. I had soaked half the beans overnight, so we could see what happens, and also to make it easier to get inside.

Carefully, we took apart the soaked bean to see inside. And, yes! It had everything it needed to survive and grow - a baby plant (embryo) including a little root, food (cotytedon, our new favorite word), and a seed coat.

Future classroom science projects will feature our "magic" beans - we will do some planting experiments and practice making predictions, changing variables, and drawing conclusions.