Welcome to WiggleWorms Daily Missions! Today we are putting on our lab coats for our Little Garden Scientist series to test a fascinating question about plant behavior.
Have you ever noticed how houseplants or seedlings sitting on a window ledge seem to lean sideways, stretching toward the glass? Are they trying to look outside, or is something else going on?
🕵️♀️ The Scientist's Prediction Rule
Before running an experiment, a true scientist always makes a prediction (a guess about what will happen and why)! What do you think your seedlings will do?
What You Need:
- An Old Shoebox: With a lid that closes tightly.
- Cardboard Scraps: To tape inside as internal maze "walls."
- A Small Potted Seedling or Cress Tray: Growing actively in a pot.
- Scissors and Tape: To construct your scientific maze.
Step-by-Step Experiment Guide:
- Build the Maze: Cut a small hole (about the size of a 2-euro coin) at one end of the shoebox lid. Tape pieces of cardboard inside the box like internal dividing walls (baffles) to create a zig-zag path from one end to the other.
- Position the Plant: Place your small potted seedling or growing tray at the opposite end of the box away from the hole.
- Seal the Box: Put the lid on tightly so that the *only* place light can enter the box is through that single tiny hole at the far end.
- The Window Test: Place your shoebox on a bright indoor windowsill where sunlight hits the hole. Leave it alone for 5 to 7 days!
- Check the Results: Open the box lid. Look at how your plant's stem twisted, turned, and bent around the cardboard walls to find the beam of light coming through the hole! Record your findings in your nature journal.
🧠 Fun Fact
Plants grow toward light using a natural plant hormone called auxin. Auxin runs away from the light and hides on the shady side of the stem, making the shaded cells grow faster and forcing the plant to bend toward the sun!
