Gardening Project: PLANTS NEED LEAVES

One of my first illustration assignments was for a book about gardening activities with children.  At that time, most books for children were illustrated with black and white art so I made pencil drawings.  Here is one of the activities.

Do plants need leaves? Here is a project that shows how leaves help plants to grow.

You will need:
lima bean seeds
soil
container (such as an empty milk carton)

Plant several lima bean seeds in a container. Put the container in a warm location, and keep the soil moist. After the seeds have sprouted and the plants have developed their second set of leaves, thin to 3 plants, and remove 2 leaves from one plant, and all the leaves from another plant. Be sure to let one plant continue to grow naturally with all its leaves.  Observe the plants over the next few weeks and compare how they grow. Which one is the biggest?

From Children’s Gardens: A Field Guide for Teachers, Parents and Volunteers by Elizabeth Bremner and John Pusey, Illustrations by Caroline Arnold