Sprouting Seeds

A few years back, I started to get into sprouting. There are lots of health benefits to consuming sprouted greens - not that my own children were too keen on that aspect!  However, the thrill of watching little seeds evolve each day was very exciting. I was inspired to bring the seeds in, and try sprouting with the JKs in the atelier. 

Recording scientific observations in the atelier!

At first glance, the handful of clover seeds weren't terribly interesting. We noticed that they were small, and they were yellow and brown. We soaked them in water to wake them up! The inquiry had begun. We wondered what would happen? Would they grow bigger? Would they turn into something else? Did they need light?

Clover seeds getting a soak!

We drained the seeds and let them sit in the sprouting jar overnight. There wasn't much change by the next day. We wondered: Maybe they needed more light? More dark? We gave the seeds a shower, but drained them well so they weren't soaking.

We covered the jar with a towel. Soon, the seeds were sprouting little white tails. We recorded our observations in our science journal page, and made predictions about what would happen next. 

Some little scientists predicted that the seeds would turn into :

beans

monkeys

gorillas

apples

oranges

flowers

grass

volcanoes

feathers

the sun

water bugs

Observations: I see...

Before we knew it, the seeds had developed a sprout and had tiny green parts at the end.

In fact, we could observe little green leaves emerging.

In our sun dappled atelier, observations are recorded.

The children were a little surprised to learn that the sprouts could be put into a salad, or in a sandwich or a soup garnish. We didn't actually taste test them, because there were days that the sprouts missed their "showers", and there was likely bacterial growth. But, if you're vigilant about rinsing your sprouts twice daily, they can make for a fascinating science experiment and a tasty treat!

Documentation panel

Thank you for visiting our atelier.

Setting the Stage

We were very lucky to be an audience for "Blues in the School" this week. Each morning we attended a performance by celebrated musical artists - some nominated for Juno Awards! Each presentation was quite different, and the children were exposed to some fantastic live music!

This experience transferred back to the classroom, as the children created their own centre to celebrate their learning and music appreciation. We brainstormed what resources we would need to create a centre. It was determined that we needed a stage and microphones. They were off to the races!

"GOOS" paper (Good On One Side), paint brushes, primary pencils, 

and laundry detergent lids were used to create microphones.

The stage was constructed using the big wooden blocks.

However, there was some disappointment that hammers and nails could not be used to make the stage more stable. The children presented me with the problem, and had a solution to suggest. Tape.

 Tape proved to be somewhat successful!

Abandoned microphone on stage

Once the stage was constructed, the children were eager to prepare more for their performances. Chairs were assembled and the audience fell into place! Some members of the audience provided percussion for the performances. In some cases, catering was provided by our class "kitchen".

A friend clapping and providing percussion

Performing at the "Blues" centre

The song "Strong Mama" draws an audience

The children continue to grab microphones and perform a variety of tunes, including:

Let It Go

Rock n' Roll Snowman

There Was a Moose

Twinkle Twinkle

Old MacDonald

 ... and our feature "Blues" song of the week: Strong Mama .

Creativity! A bin of child created microphones.

Grab a microphone from the bin, and click on the link above to 

hear Eric Litwin's song Strong Mama. Enjoy!

Thanks for dropping by the atelier.