As part of a 'blind test,' we planted two types of seeds - one from a control group and another from a group of seeds that have been in space on the I.S.S. We each planted 2 seeds - one from each seed group. The groups this year are "N" and "P" but we don't yet know which letter belongs to what seed group (hence the blind test). After planting our seeds, we placed our peat pots in mini-greenhouses (seedling trays with humidity covers), away from direct sunlight and cold-air drafts in order to provide ideal growing conditions.
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| All of our peat pots are getting ready from planting! |
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| We are writing the Group Name (N or P) and our names on our sticks... |
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| ... we are also naming our plants (with some pretty creative names at that)! |
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| Planting our seeds! |
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| Giving them a pep talk (and lots of love) so that they grow, grow, grow! :) |
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| Our peat pots are tucked away in their greenhouse trays! |
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| All closed up and ready for growing! |
We will make daily observations every day for the next 30 days. Our daily observations will include writing the date, the day of the experiment, the time of the observation, the temperature of the class and how many seeds from each group have germinated. It is expected that the seeds will start germinating between days 5 and 7, meaning we should start seeing tiny stems and leaves as early as Tuesday or Wednesday!
As the experiment continues, we will discuss the need for collecting this type of data as it pertains to humans colonizing Mars. We will also be discussing the Scientific Method and learning how to: write detailed hypotheses, analyze and graph our collected data and represent our findings in well-written conclusions.
At the conclusion of the experiment, we will be submitting our results to Tomatosphere, and at that point we will discover the identities of the seed groups!
Participation in this month-long experiment will not only help Canadian scientists address the question of how we supply space exploration missions with life support requirements, it may also inspire us to pursue studies in Science and Technology as our space scientists and Mars explorers of the future.
Pretty cool, right? 🍅
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AGENDA
1. "Toothbrush homework" - please think about the different parts of our Tomatosphere hypothesis that we spoke about today in class. Please come ready to complete your predictions in class tomorrow.
2. Math scribbler and Science duotang - if you have not yet sent these supplies, please send them ASAP. We have started using our Math notebook and will be adding to our Science duotangs everyday this week.
3. Scholastic flyers! Please see Scholastic post for more info! (Class Code: RC148269)
4. Ness Gear - Order your Chevalier gear before it's too late! Online store is open until Sunday, October 4.
5. Photo proofs have arrived and are coming home today. Please place your orders online, or, return orders forms to school by Friday, October 9.
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