I had totally forgotten that I had registered for this scheme until a parcel
Contents of the free growing kit
arrived in the post a few weeks ago. We received a comprehensive little growing kit (all free of charge) consisting of two varieties of seed potatoes – Rocket and Vales Emerald; 2 x plastic growing sacks; a weather chart and stickers; materials and instructions for making a rain gauge; a sprinkler top to convert a 2 litre pop bottle into a natty watering device and some very comprehensive instructions for the project.
Although we already grow taters at the lottie, the boys were quite excited to have some of their own.
So, we started by chitting the seed potatoes (chitting is the process of placing seed potatoes in a cool, light place to encourage strong sturdy shoots to grow before they are planted in the ground). We did this by tearing the lid off two egg boxes and standing the potatoes in the bottom section, where the eggs would go. We then labeled them and stood them on the kitchen windowsill, where they remained for 2 weeks.
The seed potatoes are now planted in the growing sacks and the boys need to record each day’s weather condition on the chart provided, measure the rainfall and water the spuds every 3-4 days. The weather aspect of this project is good because it will serve as an introduction to a topic on weather I have planned for later in the year. Also, I’m going to do some extension activities on handling data, making graphs etc.
Registration is now closed for this year’s project but you can register here for 2011. Also, the site contains some useful activities and lesson plans.
