Science: Learning about Plants, Lesson 3: Roots (follow-up)

We've had mixed results on our plant experiments so far.  The avocados both grew mold and didn't sprout, and in the first attempt at sprouting lima beans, I kept the paper towels too wet and they began to break down.  The second attempt worked beautifully, however!

After just a few days: the root has sprouted and is growing down.  Then we turned the jar upside down to see what would happen to the root.

Several days later, the root has turned to continue growing down.

Both boys made notebook pages about roots (Brennan dictated his info for me to write), and we've been working on our plant memory work.

Connor's notebook page (front and back):

Brennan's notebook page:

We also did an experiment to see that the roots of a plant will soak up water.  We took a plant and carefully removed it from the potting soil, brushing off as much dirt as possible.  We filled a glass jar with water, measuring the water as we filled it (5 cups).  Then we put plastic wrap across the top of the jar and inserted the roots through a slit.  We covered any exposed opening with more plastic wrap to prevent water from evaporating.  After a week, we measured the water again and discovered that the plant's roots had absorbed about 1/2 cup of water.