Potato Maze

You will need:

• A small flower pot.
• Potting mix.
• A shoebox.
• Several sheets of thick cardboard.
• Sticky tape.
• An old, sprouting potato.

What to do:

1. Cut a small hole in one end of the shoe box.
2. Place the potato in the flower pot, sprouts side up.
3. Place the flower pot at the opposite end of the shoebox to the light hole.
4. Cut the cardboard into strips and use the pieces to create an obstacle course between the potato and the light hole.
5. Put your box in a sunny position with the hole facing the light.
6. Observe the growth of the potato every day but make sure you always put the lid back on tightly!

What’s happening?

Plants need sunlight and oxygen so they can produce food in a process called photosynthesis. Plants in darker surroundings will generally grow towards the light to increase their photosynthesising potential. Over time, you will see that the potato sprouts grow around your obstacle course to get to the light. Intelligent potatoes… what next?!