Title – Have Your Students Grow the Plant That Moves When They Tickle It!

By – Mark Chipkin

Primary Subject – Science

Grade Level – All

Activity Time:

40 minutes

Concepts Taught:

Plants, living things, botany, tropisms

Materials:

• TickleMe PlantT Seeds
  
• Flower pot or cup with hole on the bottom
  
• Soil

Directions:

1. The day before you plant your seeds, soak them in warm water overnight.

2. Fill a flowerpot or cup ¾ of the way with soil.

3. Plant three to five seeds by covering them with 1/8 inch of soil.

4. Water your seeds gently.

5. Place your newly planted seeds in a room that receives bright light or sunlight for part of the day.

6. Temperatures in the room should be above 70 degrees.

7. Water before the soil dries out.

8. That’s it! Your plants will begin to grow in less than a week.

Additional Notes:

The first two leaves will not be ticklish. In about three weeks, the second set of TickleMe PlantT leaves will appear and they will move when you tickle them. TickleMe PlantsT are best grown as house plants and can even be placed in a bright location outside during the warmer months. They are frost sensitive, so be sure to bring them inside before the cold weather arrives. They produce pink puffball flowers.

TickleMe PlantsT can live for a year or more and grow to about one foot plus in height.

Native to Brazil, TickleMe Plants can be found growing wild there and in other tropical areas. The scientific name for the TickleMe PlantT is

Mimosa pudica

. It also has been called shy grass, sensitive plant and other names throughout the world.

To learn about the natural history of the TickleMe PlantT go to


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensitive_plant

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself and your children more sensitive to plants. To learn more about growing TickleMe PlantsT or to order seeds, go to

www.TickleMePlant.com

E-Mail

Mark Chipkin

!