A Mazing Beans!

The Mad Scientist's cousin who is teaching in Europe suggests we have fun trying to teach a bean to grow through a maze. We'll take pictures as we go along.

You will need a bean seed, a shoe box with a lid, (you could decorate it first), a small pot or cup to grow a bean runner in, strong tape, cardboard or Styrofoam to make the maze levels. If any light is coming into the box other than the sunlight through the top hole, you'll need to paint the shoebox a dark colour.To grow the plant in a shoebox, plant a bean or something that will grow quite long. I'd start it and once it gets a few inches long it's ready to go.

Take a shoebox - you need the lid. Cut a hole (fairly big - the size of a tea light candle) in 1 end of the box. Use cardboard, Styrofoam whatever to make a simple maze in the box. The plant will grow over, under and around the "maze" if it's not too complicated and it gets enough light.

Put the plant in 1 end (opposite the hole) and place the box so that the hole faces a lot of light. The idea is that the plant will grow through the maze towards the light. The lid of the box is on the whole time.

Remember to water your plant sometimes so don't tape your box lid closed.