John Lewis Childs School second graders in Caroline Olfano’s class participated in a science experiment with lima bean seeds as part of their plant unit in science.

After learning about the needs of plants, the students placed a lima bean seed in a Ziploc bag with a paper towel soaked in water and placed a lima bean seed on its own in another bag. The Ziploc bags were taped to the classroom windows and were exposed to sunlight and air.

The students predicted that the seeds exposed to sunlight, air and water would germinate, while the seed without water would not. They observed the seeds for five days and logged the progress each day.