Activities & Days Out / 20 August, 2019 / Nanny Anita

Easy Peasy Zip Lock Green House

This experiment came about by chance a few weeks ago and has been going on ever since. During dinner EC was eating his apple when he suddenly piped up that he would like to grow the apple seeds that he had found.  This resulted in a discussion and the response: “let’s plant them at the weekend in the country”.  However, I knew that the likelihood of that actually happening was quite slim, as everyone would forget about it and the seeds would get lost.  So I remembered an old school experiment and decided that there was no time like the present to plant the apple seeds inside, using zip lock bags.

To make your own zip lock green house you will need:

• Zip lock bag
• Seed: we used apple seeds and then added broad beans
• Tape
• Cotton wool
• Water
• Paper and pencil to keep a record of the results

EC and YC placed their apple seeds in the middle of some cotton wool and then placed it in the own zip lock bags.

They then added the water – EC was very careful and didn’t add too much water, whereas YC was very liberally and ended up with a small pond for the cotton wool to sit in.

EC gentle dripping a few drops of water onto his apple seed

We then used the tape to stick them to one of the kitchen windows – EC wanted his seed to face out and YC wanted hers to face inwards.

A few days after we did the apple seeds we did two more with broad beans in and again had one facing in and one facing out.

Each day they checked on their seeds and after a few days YC’s apple seed began to sprout!  Fast-forward three weeks and YC’s apple seed now has leaves and EC’s broad bean is growing nicely.  Interestingly the apple seed that was facing outwards has done nothing and the broad bean facing in has only changed from a green to a brown colour.

The whole experiment has been a lot of fun, and both children have been very keen to check on their seeds and watch them grow.  It was also a great opportunity for them to see what conditions are ideal for plants to grow.

We will of course keep them in their bags for as long as possible and then transfer them to pots.  Who knows, maybe one day we will be eating apples and beans grown from these seeds.

This activity may help develop:

• Knowledge of the natural world
• Scientific enquiry
• A green thumb

YC’s apple seed after a few days

The apple seed 3 weeks later

EC’s broad bean after 2 weeks

After 3 weeks