Plant Observation

What You Need:

• Amaryllis bulb
• 5-7 inch flower pot
• Potting compost
• Journal or blank paper
• Pencil
• Colored pencils or crayons

What You Do:

1. Prepare the amaryllis bulb by soaking it lukewarm water for several hours. If you are unable to plant the bulb right away, store it at a low temperature of 40-50 degrees F. You may choose to follow the directions below for planting or follow directions that came with your bulb.
2. Plant the bulb in a flowering pot with potting compost up to the bulbs neck. Press the soil firmly around the bulb.
3. The best temperature for the amaryllis bulb is between 68 and 70 degrees. Do not water often until the stem appears. Once the stem is visible, you can water more often.
4. Once your child has planted the bulb, create a journal to draw and write observations. You may choose to purchase a journal or make one from at least ten pieces of blank paper. If you want to get really fancy, use five pieces of binder paper and five pieces of plain white paper so that your child can write on the lined pages and draw on the blank ones.
5. Staple the pages in between two pieces of construction paper. Write “My Plant Observation Journal” on the front, and have your child write her name on the front as well.
6. Have your child begin drawing and writing her observations of the amaryllis bulb on a weekly basis once the stem becomes visible. She may include the length of the stem, number of leaves or buds, smell, color, etc. You may also help your child calculate the differences of stem size, number of flowers, etc. from week to week.
7. Make sure to write the date in the upper right corner of the blank page for each new entry.

Now that your child is a skilled botanist, she may want to observe other plants or try growing a new amaryllis! Like any good scientist, she'll have her notes ready in her plant observation journal for further study.