Growlab Activities at
Hamilton Heights Elementary School
Hamilton Heights Elementary Growlab Curriculum


Butterfly watching in Miss Muray's 1st grade class has risen to new heights or should we say new locations!

Charlotte's Garden has blossomed and is growing butterflies! Students who planted flowers and seeds last year were able to see them providing nectar this year. They observed Monarchs, Painted Ladies, Silver Streaked Skippers, Cresents, Red Admirals, Red Spotted Purples and Cabbage Whites.

The first grades brought monarch caterpillars inside and watched them make their chrysalises. After the butterflies emerged they were tagged and released in the garden. The students participated in the Monarch Watch tagging program offered through the University of Kansas.

In 1998 they tagged and released 10 butterflies. In 1999 they tagged and released 20 butterflies.


Worms Eat Students Garbage

What has no eyes, but can see? No ears, but can hear? No hands, but can feel? No teeth, but devours apples, oranges and coffee grounds? Mr. Stone's 4th grade classroom's red wiggler farm! Do you dig worms? Well, Mr. Stone's class got hooked on worms this year. They've conducted experiments with the worms to determine which colors of light the worm can "see". The worm nursurey has provided insight into the cocoons and the worm's birth. Every week they have thrown their "food trash" into the bin and watched the worms turn it into rich compost. They are witnessing the web of life and the role worms play in keeping the earth fertile. As they were removing the compost and preparing a new bed for the worms, one boy said, "I don't understand why anyone would step on a worm." The reply, "Because they don't know what you know."

A Trio of Friends
Worm-thusiasm is inching it's way to Mrs. Messmer's class. They have prepared their worm bin and are beginning their investigation into those incredible wigglers. They plan to grow flowers atop their earthworm apartment houses and then transplant them into Charlotte's Garden. This will demonstrate the relationship between the earth, the plant, and the soil - a trio of friends.


Mrs. Hook's and Mrs. Schreiber's 2nd grade classrooms had great fun creating a "Plantenstein" out of different plant parts and seeds. They planted a "vegetable face" and then watched it grow! As junior scientists they learned to observe and record their findings as they noted the differences between the two types of propagation.

This student is recording her "plant face" as it looks after planting. In 2 weeks she will record the results of how it looks after everything has grown into a "plantenstein".










Just Buzzing Around
Did you ever want to be a bee? That's what Mrs. Gables 1st grade class did. They raised Wisconsin Fast Plants, pollinated them, and watched as they produced seed pods which they opened finding hundreds of seeds! Wisconsin Fast Plants (WFP) show the student a complete life cycle by growing from seed, to plant, to flower, to new seeds, in just 45 days.

Lettuce Celebrate

Mrs. Gables 1st grade class grew lettuce from seeds grown and saved by a first grade class in Westfield. They harvested some lettuce and had a salad-bration. Now they are watching as their plants produce flowers, which they will pollinate. They will harvest their seeds and save them for next year's class. They also plan on writing a letter to Katie, from whom they received the original seeds.

From planting ...............to eating


Plant a Question - Harvest an Answer
Mrs. Burkhardt's 1st grade class became scientific investigators. They planted marigolds in the Growlab under perfect conditions and then they asked the question "What would happen if the plant was deprived of something it needed?". They started experiments in which some were given no water, some were given no light, and some were placed in window light. One was given too much of a good thing - fertilizer. They observed the results and recorded their conclusions. What Part of a Plant Do You Eat? After learning what a plant needs to survive, they discussed plant anatomy: roots, fruits, stems, seeds and leaves. They dissected a soaked lima bean and discovered its tiny plant parts. They observed the difference between seed leaves and the true leaves.They not only talked about what each part does, but which parts we eat and what grows above and below the ground. We eat carrot roots, corn seeds, lettuce leaves and an apple's fruit.

They played seed guessing games and next year Mrs. Burkhardt plans to incorporate math through graphing.



Did you ever grow a doll? Mrs. Hoch's kindergarten class grew grass seed dolls. They rolled the seeds up in a paper towel and cut out holes for arms and watched hair sprout up and feet sprout down.

For their next experiment, they planted marigold seeds in egg shells and watched the roots grow through the cracks.

Presenting the amazing magic powder! After they read the story about the little red hen and baked a loaf of bread, they used yeast to make a balloon blow up.

They are keeping their growlab busy with narcisuss bulbs and hyacinths. They learned that there is a tiny little plant inside each bulb and they watched them grow into beautiful flowers.

They have made their own pots out of newspaper and planted seeds in them that will grow into plants that attract butterflies. They will transplant them pot and all into Charlotte's Garden this Spring.

Which End Is Up? Students from Mrs. Messmer's and Mr.Stone's class investigated the effects of gravity on sprouting seeds. They found that a seed's roots will keep turning downward in response to gravity. This experiment prepared them for their participation in the CUESTIPS project below.

Mrs. Messmer's class also planted hyacinth bulbs upside down, right side up and sideways. They discovered that the bulb planted right side up came up as expected, the bulb planted sideways had a curved stem and still bloomed, but the bulb planted upside down did not grow at all.

Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment -

Students and Teachers Investigating Plants in Space
Fasten your seatbelts and prepare for launching into space. Four classrooms participated in CUESTIPS - Mr. Stone, Mrs. Messmer, Mrs. Whitehead, and Mrs. Hall. HHES together with 2000 other schools from around the world participated in this project using the teacher's guide issued by NASA research centers. The students participated in the NASA STS-87 space mission by growing the same plants and recording information under similar conditions with one difference - gravity. For additional pictures and information on this project see Astro project.

Mr. Walsh's 4th grade class is growing Apogee and Super Dwarf wheat. They want to answer the question, "Which type wheat would produce the greatest yield, in the least space, in a hydroponics environment?". They must gather data about plant height, plant health, and harvest results in order to arrive at their conclusion.

This is a picture of the Hydroponics Unit (HPU) before the wheat has been planted. The students constructed it from 2 liter soda bottles using a string for a wick.

A student finishes writing his procedures for constructing the HPU. Next the seeds will be planted and nutrient solution added.

To find out more about GrowLab visit: National Gardening Association Kids & Classrooms


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