What it shows
Seeds grow when kept in damp soil and light. The sock holds the soil and the grass grows out of it like hair.
The science
Seeds need water, air and warmth to sprout. The damp soil in the sock keeps the seeds wet, and the cloth lets air in. After the roots take hold, the leaves grow up towards light. Each blade of grass is a new plant that makes food using sunlight.
Materials
Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- An old sock or a thin cloth (free)
- Two handfuls of garden soil or sawdust
- A tablespoon of grass or wheat seeds
- A small cup or yoghurt tub
- Rubber band
- Buttons, paper and glue for the face
Safety
For this project: Wash your hands after touching soil. An adult must help with cutting any items.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesStep by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Put the seeds in the toe of the sock and then add soil on top.
Tie the sock with a rubber band to make a round head.
Stand the sock in the cup with the seed side up.
Glue buttons for eyes and paper for a nose and mouth on the front.
Pour water into the cup so the base of the sock soaks it up.
Place the head near a bright window.
Give it a little water every day so the sock stays damp.
Draw the head every two days to show how the hair grows.
What you should see
Green shoots appear in three to five days and by a week the head has a lawn of grass hair that you can trim.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
1What do the seeds need to grow?
Water, air and warmth.
2Why does the grass grow upward?
It grows towards light.
3What does the sock do?
It holds soil and water.
4Can the grass make its own food?
Yes, using sunlight, water and air.
Take it further
Make two heads, one in sun and one in the dark, and compare the hair.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
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