Experimenting with Tulip Bulbs
By Ms. Patterson
This fall, the second graders in Ms. Patterson’s class embarked on a journey. We tried to get into the mind of a tulip bulb. It takes quite an imagination to do that.
We planted the bulbs outside of the school in October. They are located by the windows outside of the computer room. Ms. Patterson planted some in her refrigerator also. Then we waited. And we wondered. And we imagined.
When will the tulips outside decide to wake up? How do they decide? Will they survive?
Can we trick the bulbs in the refrigerator into thinking they are safe underground, and that it’s winter, or will they notice the juice bottle and leftover pizza?
What do they do all winter long, and how come they have to be so cold and sleepy before they bloom?
Here are the results so far:
We did manage to trick the bulbs in the refrigerator, and they are blooming in our classroom right now. Please come over and see them. Abdiazis Muse said, “They look like they have a spider inside.” I agree.
The classroom flowers have a pinkish color on their leaves. Is that because they didn’t get enough water over spring break? Is it because the bulbs formed a little mold on them before they were planted?
The bulbs outside have started to grow above the soil about 3” (three inches) or so. They are also slightly pink in color. However, we just got a semi-surprise snow storm. Will the snow be too cold for the plant because it is now above ground?
Please join our research team and let us know anything you observe about the tulips in the next coming weeks. And hey, guess what? Tulips come up year after year, so if you stay at Banaadir, you will surely see them every year as you get older!
