Three sealed bags in the window. A radish in one. Algae in one. Algae and brine shrimp in the third.

By Friday they look nothing alike, and the class works out why.

The bag with the animals in it ends up less green than the bag without them. Nobody predicts that.

The radish seed sits flat against the plastic, so the root grows down the bag wall in plain sight. Most classrooms never get to see that.

In the box

• 3 Beaker Bags, 500 mL, with a printed 1 mm grid
• 2 tubes of live algae, 15 mL each
• Brine shrimp cysts
• Seawater salts and nutrients
• Radish seed and vermiculite
• Hand lens
• Secchi Stick
• Pipette
• Paper towel

You supply

Bottled spring water, not distilled. A light or a window out of direct sun. Chart paper.

Lesson package included

Teacher, Student, Assessment and Administrator documents, written for K-2 and again for 3-5. Standards mapped to NGSS, Texas TEKS and Florida NGSSS.

Good to know

One kit runs a classroom working in small groups. The lesson takes seven days. The cultures keep going for months after that, and some teachers have kept one alive for years. Left to grow, the radish will flower and set seed inside a school term.

Top up with fresh water only, never salt water. Water evaporates. Salt does not.

Nothing in the kit is toxic and the bags stay sealed. The radish is edible at every stage.