fastplants

[margaretk]

Anyone do Wisconsin fastplants "Life in balance" unit with brassica butterflies? About to start unit with 6th graders and am really nervous about it...But you never know until you try! Just looking for any advice--basically we'll be raising butterflies and plants and making observations/experiments as their life cycles progress. Hopefully things go well. I already told my students that this is my first year completing this unit and to expect the unexpected. They seem excited about it...so that's a good start! I just don't know what to do to best facilatate this process! And that always makes me nervous (i'm a perfectionist that always screw things up ). Thanks for any input

 

[tia]

i've used the wisconsin fast plants with and STC science kit a couple times....have never done it along with butterflies, though. (sounds like 2 units--lots of work!)

depending on your set up:
*make sure your grow light is at the right height (and janitors won't shut off)
*where i had mine (only place they could be) was right by windows and a little cold--so grew slower
*make sure the water seepage thingy is working correctly and all plants are getting watered and not just the ones up front (don't know if your set up is same....)
*check your timing (can't remember the exact day...maybe days 6 & 7)--you want to make sure that the biggest growth days are days your kids will see the plants--one year the plants GREW over thanksgiving break...it was sad because they were tiny plants when kids left and then giant when they returned

post again or personal message me if you have specific questions (it's been a while since i did them, but i'd be happy to help if i can).

 

[hescollin]

Petunia

Harvest the seeds and save them and plant them next year. We have saved our seeds and replanted them this was our eighth year. We reuse the containers also. Sure saves a lot of money.

Have students put a drinking straw in water, put their finger over the top and put the straw over the container of plants and take their finger off the top. They don't over water the tiny little plants.