Topaz Class were posed the question, 'Do Seeds Need Soil to Germinate?'
Many members of class thought that seeds DO need soil and gave the following reasons:
"The soil will help the plant stand up so the tap root has somewhere to hold on."
"If the seed is in soil, then it is safe from the birds."
"The soil will keep the seeds warm and help them germinate."
One of the children pointed out that plants might need soil, but that when they are tiny seeds they might not need soil to start germinating. We also remembered last week's investigation where a bean seed in a pot of water had swollen up and started to change, even though there was no soil.
After some group discussion, the children split into small groups to design an investigation that would help us solve the problem. They had to think about ways to keep the investigation fair as well as what it was that they were going to change and test.
Using their plans, the children have now set up their investigations and we hope to see results in the next few weeks!
