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Just for Kids
We're in the process of changing and updating the Just for Kids page. If you have an idea or suggestion of what you'd like to see here, send it our way.
Send your ideas through email to: ithacachildrensgarden@cornell.edu
Through snail mail to: 615 Willow Ave. Ithaca, NY 14850
Or give us a call at 607-272-2292 ext. 122
Activity of the Month: Power Seeds
Is a bean mightier than a penny? Can a plant be strong enough to push objects out of its way or would it stop growing all together? Figure it out with this experiment.
Supplies:
Bean seeds (any variety will do)
Potting soil
Small pot or paper cup
A penny
4 toothpicks
Water
Instructions:
1. Fill a small pot or paper cup with potting soil.
2. With your finger, make a hole in the soil at the very center of your
pot or cup, about 1 to 1.5 inches deep.
3. Drop your bean sees in the hole and cover it with soil. Be sure to
remember where exactly you planted it!
4. Place a penny on top of the soil, exactly over the place the bean seed
is planted.
5. Instert the toothpicks evenly around the penny, making sure that they
touch the sides of the penny.
6. Water your bean seed and place in a sunny window. Check each day to
see if it needs more water.
7. Watch and see if the bean seed will have the power to lift the penny.
8. Try out other experiments with different seeds and different size coins
or objects.
Book of the Month: Two Old Potatoes and Me by John Coy
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Two Old Potatoes and Me by John Coy Two Old Potatoes and Me is a refreshing story of a young girl and her father who find some accidentally sprouted potatoes in the back of a kitchen cupboard and decide to plant them in the garden and see what happens. Together, they weed, water, and wait, producing a huge, successful crop of potatoes in their backyard. There's even a great mashed potato recipe in the back of the book. |
Try rooting a potato of your own!
You'll need a potato or sweet potato, some toothpicks, and a glass
of water. Stick toothpicks around the middle of your potato, creating
supports so you can suspend the potato in the glass. Fill the glass so
the bottom half of the potato is covered with water. Leave in a sunny
window and see what happens!
615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca, NY 14850-3555. 607 272 2292, fax: 607 272 7088