Adapted from SuperScience Red, March, 1995, issue.

Seed sprout in soil, of course. But can they also sprout in strange places? "Seed" for yourself!

You Need:

• Empty egg carton

• Pencil

• Seeds (radish or alfalfa)

• Tray

• Water

• Scrap paper

• Things to sprout in (soil, shoelace, tinfoil, crayon shavings, and what else?)

  1. Poke a hole in the bottom of the egg cups. (Use a pencil.) Do this for the back row only.

  2. Fill one cup with soil. Do the same thing with the shoelace, tinfoil, and crayons. What else might seeds sprout in? Fill the other two cups with things you want to try. Label all of the cups.

  3. Drop 4 to 5 seeds in each cup. Put the carton on a tray. Sprinkle water on the seeds. Close the lid.

  4. Make a chart with two columns to show how your experiment is going. In one column, MAKE A GUESS: Will the seeds sprout in each of the cups? RECORD a : > or a : < on the chart.

  5. Check the seeds every day. Keep them moist.

  6. After a week, look at the seeds. Did the seeds sprout in each cup? RECORD a : > or a : < on your chart.

• Answer Key

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