Bean Power

bean sprouting and growing in soil

Bean Sprouting Science Activity For Kids!

How do plants grow? Help your child discover a better understanding of how plants grow and flowers bloom, with this fun science project! Your child will get to observe the life of a bean sprout seed and see what happens when it is properly watered and cared for.

Materials You Will Need:

  • a package of dry beans (any kind will do)
  • a drinking glass
  • water
  • a metal cookie sheet or cake pan

Experiment:

Fill the glass full of dry beans. Add enough water to fill it to the top, and place the glass in the center of the metal pan. Put it somewhere nearby, where it won’t be in the way, and then go about your daily routine.

After a few hours, you will hear a clink as one of the beans falls out of the glass onto the pan. Then you will hear another. Over the next few hours, you will continue to hear the sounds of the beans falling, so unless you are a heavy sleeper, don’t try this at night. (And of course you would never hide your experiment in your sister’s closet before bedtime!) You will find that the beans expand to more than twice their original size.

Why?

Why does that happen? The dry beans absorb the water to start the process of sprouting. The water softens the cells, and is absorbed into them by the process of osmosis. This causes the cells to expand, making the beans larger.

When you are finished, use your pre-soaked beans to make a tasty bean dish in your slow cooker. The internet has some great recipes to try! Let us know what your favorite one is.

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