Directions for Planting Fast Plant Seeds
The most necessary thing to remember is that ALL PARTS OF THE WICKING SYSTEM NEED TO BE WET before planting begins. This is accomplished through the following steps:
1. The soil needs to be mixed with water in a bowl or bucket before being passed out to the students. Make it a moist-to-wet mixture.
2. The water mat needs to soak in water for at least 15 minutes.
3. The wicks also need to be wet before being placed in the quads.
4. The final wetting process is to drop water from an eyedropper onto surface of soil until drops fall from wick at bottom. This assures the wicking is complete.
Quad planting process:
1. Insert wick into each chamber of quad, pulling wick through hole until widest part of wick is just caught inside bottom of quad.
2. Fill each chamber of the quad half full with soil.
3. Tamp down soil (students use a finger quite successfully) so there are no air pockets.
4. Add the three pellets of fertilizer.
5. Fill the rest of the quad chambers with soil and tamp down again.
6. Carefully place two seeds on top of soil in each chamber.
7. Sprinkle thin, thin, thin layer of dry soil on top of seeds to barely cover seeds.
8. Using eyedroppers, drop water onto top of each chamber until drops of water fall from the wick underneath quad.
9. Place quad on water mat, making sure every wick is half out of the quad and touching the water mat.
Make sure fluorescent bulbs are no more than 1" above the tops of plants at all times. If lights are higher, the plants will become quite scraggly.
Once plants begin growing, they should be rearranged by height under the lights. Shorter plants should be at one end with the lights 1" above them, to tallest plants at the other end with lights raised on chain so lights are still just 1" above these plants.
STC Living Materials Information
Carolina Biological Supply Company which supplies the STC kits (Science, Technology and Children) has informational tips on receiving and maintaining live materials for the following VAST Center kits:
* The Life Cycle of Butterflies
Painted lady butterflies
* Microworlds
Blepharisma
Vinegar eels
Volvox
* Soils
Redworms
Foss Kit Safety Information
Delta Education LLC is committed to classroom safety. Most of the chemical components found in kits supplied by Delta Education are common household items that are readily available to consumers. Misuse or mishandling of these materials is a potential safety hazard to teachers and students. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) describe the basic hazards of a material, and how the material can be safely handled, used, and stored. The MSDS are included at their site in PDF format for your review and reference. (You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader version 4 or higher to read the PDFs. )
If you have questions regarding any MSDS, call Delta Education toll free at 800-258-1302 (Monday–Friday 8am–6pm EST). If there's an emergency, you can contact Chemtrec toll free at 800-424-9300 (24 hours per day).
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Exploring Safely: A Guide for Elementary Teachers. Terry Kwan and Juliana Texley
Take the fear factor out of science lessons. This easy-to-digest book relieves many of the safety worries that come with teaching science in elementary school. The emphasis is on positive options for heading off potential hazards, from handling special equipment to conducting field studies.
Chapters cover:
- making safe work habits second nature to students
- equipping your classroom for safety and conveniene, including organizational systems for preparation, setup, and cleanup
- choosing and culturing live plants and animals for classroom study
- working safely with electricity, chemicals, and volunteers
A special added ingredient: model forms that can be adapted for your needs, including permission slips and student contracts. Best of all, a wealth of anecdotes about what works --and what doesn't-- in real-life classrooms makes Exploring Safely enjoyable to read as well as to reference.
Grades K-4, 2002, 125 pp., Stock: PB166X1, ISBN: 0-873552-00-8
Available through NSTA
