1. Activity type: Investigation
Finding out children’s ideas
1 Do you think plants need light to grow? Why?
2 What do you think would happen if a plant got no light?
3 Do you think plants grow towards the light? Why/ why not?
4 Would plants grow well in this forest environment?
5 Where would they grow best? Why?
6 Where would they grow least well? Why?
7 Look at the equipment we have today: how do you think we could
use it to find out whether or not a plant grows towards the light?
Equipment - 5 shoeboxes with holes on top, at each side, at front and one with no hole.
6 quick growing plants (e.g. pea, bean, lettuce or parsley),
scissors, digital camera, measuring jug (for watering the plants)
Setting up the investigation
Show the children the 6 plants. Number each pot and take a photograph of each.

2. Place pot 1 under a shoe box with no holes.
Ask the children to predict what they think will happen to the plant.
Record their predictions.
Water each plant daily for 8 days using the same amount of water on each plant.
Encourage children to record observations throughout the 8 days with drawings and digital photographs.

3. Place pot 2 under a shoe box with a large hole on top.
Ask the children to predict what they think will happen to the plant.
Record their predictions.
Water the plant daily for 8 days using the same amount of water on each plant
Encourage children to record observations throughout the 8 days with drawings and digital photographs.

4. Place pot 3 under a shoe box with a large hole on the left hand side.
Ask the children to predict what they think will happen to the plant.
Record their predictions.
Water the plant daily for 8 days using the same amount of water on each plant.
Encourage children to record observations throughout the 8 days with drawings and digital photographs.

5. Place pot 4 under a shoe box with a large hole on the right hand side.
Ask the children to predict what they think will happen to the plant.
Record their predictions.
Water the plant daily for 8 days using the same amount of water on each plant.
Encourage children to record observations throughout the 8 days with drawings and digital photographs.

6. Place pot 5 under a shoe box with a large hole on front.
Ask the children to predict what they think will happen to the plant.
Record their predictions.
Water the plant daily for 8 days using the same amount of water on each plant.
Encourage children to record observations throughout the 8 days with drawings and digital photographs.

7. Place pot 6 beside the others outside the box.
Ask the children to predict what they think will happen to this plant.
Record their predictions.
If their predictions are very different to the other plants - why is this so?
Water the plant daily for 8 days using the same amount of water on each plant
Encourage children to record observations throughout the 8 days with drawings and digital photographs.

8. Use prediction sheet to record predictions.

9. After 8 days children take the box off the pot and carefully observe the plant.
Encourage the children to record their observations by drawing the pots or taking photographs.
Questions to promote discussion:
Describe what happened to the plant.
Why do you think this happened?
What does this tell us about plants?
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was outside a box.
What does that tell you about plants and light?
Where do plants get their energy?
(solar)
Did this plant get any energy?
Why not?

10. After 8 days children take the box off the pot and carefully observe the plant.
Encourage the children to record their observations by drawing the pots or taking photographs.
Questions to promote discussion:
Describe what happened to the plant.
Why do you think this happened?
What does this tell us about plants?
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was outside a box.
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was under a box with no hole.
What does that tell you about plants and light.
Did this plant get solar energy?
How do you know?
Is this energy renewable?

11. After 8 days children take the box off the pot and carefully observe the plant.
Encourage the children to record their observations by drawing the pots or taking photographs.
Questions to promote discussion:
Describe what happened to the plant.
Why do you think this happened?
What does this tell us about plants?
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was outside a box.
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was under a box with no hole.
What does that tell you about plants and light.

12. After 8 days children take the box off the pot and carefully observe the plant.
Encourage the children to record their observations by drawing the pots or taking photographs.
Questions to promote discussion:
Describe what happened to the plant.
Why do you think this happened?
What does this tell us about plants?
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was outside a box.
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was under a box with no hole.
What does that tell you about plants and light.

13. After 8 days children take the box off the pot and carefully observe the plant.
Encourage the children to record their observations by drawing the pots or taking photographs.
Questions to promote discussion:
Describe what happened to the plant.
Why do you think this happened?
What does this tell us about plants?
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was outside a box.
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was under a box with no hole.
What does that tell you about plants and light.

14. Encourage the children to record their observations by drawing the pots or taking photographs.
Questions to promote discussion:
Describe what happened to the plant.
Why do you think this happened?
Why is this plant healthier than all the others?
What does this tell us about plants and sunlight?
Compare what happened to this plant with the plants that were under boxes?
Compare what happened to this plant with the plant that was under a box with no hole.
What does this tell you about the plants and sunlight?
Do you think sunlight is important for plants? Why?
What kind of energy do plants use? (sun)
Is this renewable or non-renewable energy? (renewable) Why?

15. Children will have completed predictions for all plants and will have compared the predictions with the reality after 8 days.
Encourage the children to do some research about why plants need sunlight.