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Understanding the Environment - (148K PDF file)

Investigate the physical, biological and chemical environments that influence plant growth, such as light, water, and humidity in the atmosphere.

Seeing the Light - (172K PDF file)

Just how much light does your Fast Plant need to grow as successfully as possible?

Investigating and Inventing - (288K PDF file)

What do you observe? What is the question you are exploring? These questions are just the beginning of the "Exploration Flowchart," which guides students through all the important steps of the scientific process.

Variation - Data Organization, Display and Analysis - (84K PDF file)

How do you organize your data to best represent the variations you observed and recorded among a population of Fast Plants? Learn how to create a "stem and leaf" table, a frequency histogram, as well as mastering the correct numerical representation of your data.

Pressing Matters - (28K PDF file)

Learn how to press and preserve your plants and flowers - the pressed and laminated plants can be used in a variety of ways in the classroom or as a substitute for live plants at teaching workshops.

Film Can Hand Lens - (40K PDF file)

What's an easy way to create a hand lens that students can use for micro-exploration? An old film can, soda bottle cap and a few other low-cost items will start them on their way.

Dissection Strips - (80K PDF file)

Become familiar with observing, drawing to scale and measuring your Fast Plants under magnification, using dissection strips. After photocopying the master copy provided in this exercise, simply add some tape to your dissection strip and you're ready to explore!

Fast Plants in Film Cans - (64K PDF file)

Use plastic film can wick pots and bottle reservoirs to raise your Fast Plants. These growing systems are easily and inexpensively constructed, using such materials as plastic soda bottles, cotton string, a grease pencil and forceps

Bottle Basics - (64K PDF file)

"Bottle Anatomy 101" - This activity gets beginners started in the 'basics' of taking apart, cutting and connecting the plastic bottles that are the primary material for Bottle Biology experiments.

Bottle Microscope - (88K PDF file)

Students can create their very own microscopes out of everyday household materials: just find an old plastic soda bottle, Velcro, aluminum foil, and various other materials, and you're on your way!

GrowBuckets and Bottle Reservoirs - (264K PDF file)

GrowBuckets and Bottle Reservoirs are the product of the Wisconsin Fast Plants and Bottle Biology projects working together to design a growing system for Fast Plants (and other small plants) made out of materials from the trash can.