Seed Sprouting Experiment

• Gopal anticipates his cousin's visit with excitement.
• His mother reminds him to soak two small bowls of chana (gram) before sleep.
• She would be visiting her Bua's house and return the next morning.
• Gopal soaks two more bowls, thinking two wouldn't be enough for eight people.
• His mother finds the chana overflowing and decides to cook half and sprout the other half to send to his aunt, as the doctor advised her to eat sprouts.
• She ties the remaining soaked chana in a wet cloth to sprout.

Seed Sprouting Activity

• Take chana and three bowls for the activity
• Put five chana in the first bowl and fill it with water.
• Place a damp cloth or cotton wool in the second bowl with five chana, ensuring it remains wet.
• Put five chanas in the third bowl without anything else, and cover all.
• Observe changes in all three bowls over two days.
  • Seeds in Bowl 1 (water) do not get air.
  • Seeds in Bowls 2 and 3 (damp cloth, dry) get air.
  • Seeds in Bowl 3 (dry) do not get water.

Sprouting Results

• Seeds sprout in the bowl with both air and water (Bowl 2).
• Gopal's mother ties chana in a damp cloth to provide moisture for sprouting.

Planting a Seed

• Take a clay pot or tin with a wide mouth, and make a small hole at the bottom.
• Fill the pot with soil, then put four or five similar seeds and press gently.
• Plant different kinds of seeds like mustard (sarson), fenugreek (methi), sesame (til), or coriander (dhania).
• Record the seed name, planting date, observation date, height, leaf number, and any changes.

Germination Observations

• Note the time it takes for the plant to emerge.
• Record the height difference between the first and second days.
• Determine on which day the plant's height increases the most.
• Observe if new leaves appear daily and check for stem changes.

Seed Discussion Points

• Discuss which seeds sprout fastest/slowest, or not at all
• Reason any seeds don't grow
• Consider why plants dry up or turn yellow and discuss how a lack of water may affect plant growth.

Inside a Seed

• Consider what is inside a seed.
• Consider how a tiny seed grows into a big plant.

Plants and Seeds

• Imagine what would happen if plants could walk.
• Some plants grow without seeds.
• Plants like the Pitcher plant (Nepenthese) found in places like Australia, Indonesia, and Meghalaya trap and eat insects and small animals
• The Pitcher plant attracts insects using a special smell, trapping them in its pitcher-like structure.

Seed Collection

• Collect various types of seeds and observe their shapes, sizes, colors, and textures
• Aniseed (saunf) and cumin (jeera) can be added to the list
• Make a note of the smallest/biggest seed in your collection

Seed List Examples

• List seeds used as spices, vegetables, and fruits.
• Identify seeds that are light or flat.
• Group seeds in various ways and play seed games

Seed Dispersal

• Plants cannot move, but seeds are travelers
• Seeds travel far/wide via wind, water, or animals.

Velcro Invention

• In 1948, George Mestral invented Velcro after finding seeds stuck to his clothes and his dog's fur.
• He observed tiny hooks on the seeds under a microscope

Seed Origins

• Chilli peppers were brought to India from South America by traders.

Seed Activity

• Consider Reena's seed sprouting picture and determine what is needed for a seed to sprout
• Picture how Reena's seeds would look if they did not get the necessary things.
• Explain how seeds spread to far off places.