Woolly socks on a warm day

Hello!

I am at the CIJE (Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education) engineering training session in New York "hobb-knobbing" with some amazing educators.  During one of the breaks, I overheard a cool, little, easy to use, science lab.  (Shout out to Heshy and Yaffa)

MS Teachers taking CIJE training

So here is the scenario:

As a child (or maybe an adult??) did your mother ever yell at you: "Don't walk outside in your stocking feet!!"

And what was your response?... "Aw-gee Ma, I am only going out for a second. What's the harm? I won't step on anything!!"  Well, this little lab can show what really happens...

Simply, have your students walk outside (usually in the spring or fall for best results) in a pair of woolen socks.  Let them walk through the grass, close to trees, flowers and so on.  Bring them (and their socks) back into the classroom.  Sprinkle a bit of water on the socks and (optional shake a bit of potting soil on the socks) put them in a zip-lock bag.  Let them sit (in a warm environment) and germinate for about a week.... look at the results.

Here is a link that I found on the web from New Zealand...

http://sciencelearn.org.nz/Science-Stories/Seeds-Stems-and-Spores/Woolly-sock-walk

So, what do you think of this lab?  What questions does it raise?  How would you use it in your classroom.  As always, your comments are solicited on the blog site.

Yossie

Yossie Frankel

I.T. Director - Shalhevet High SchoolTechnology Specialist - CIJE

Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
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