1. Make a small hole in the short side of a long cardboard box, such as a shoe box.
2. With an adult’s help, cut out several pieces of cardboard and stick them inside of the box to make a maze like the one pictured.
3. Put a sprouting potato in the end of the box opposite the hole and place the lid on the box.
4. Leave the box in a light place so that light can easily get into the box through the hole in the end.
5. After a few days, take the lid off the box. Has the potato found the pathway through the “maze” to find the light?
6. What happens?
The potato senses the light and grows toward it, even though it has to find its way through the maze first. Does your potato shoot eventually grow out of the hole in the end of the box?
This is a great activity to see the obstacles plants will overcome in order to find the light they need to grow.
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