Extensions: Life Science connects with Recycling (Environment).
Adaptations: Gifted students can determine other parts of plants that can be used instead of throwing away. ESL & Special Ed students can help with experiment or draw pictures of results of experiment.
Indoor Gardening with Kitchen Waste
Introduce experiment by talking about the six basic parts of plants: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, and seeds. Grow a garden by using plant scraps that usually get thrown away.
Supplies: 2-3 carrot tops, cut about 1 inch from the top, shallow bowl, pebbles (optional), sand, water, 1 fresh pineapple, pot of damp soil.
Multi-grade project that can you can differentiate according to skill and prior knowledge (experience). Older grade levels can research other possible materials to recycle from the kitchen in other ways.
state standard: 2.3.1
This activity is a great activity for showing the way and which water is transported in living things. A bit of enrichment in this activity could be to talk about the nutritional aspects of these vegetables that grow from the land.