Mexican Jumping Beans
The library and science lab joined forces in teaching the students about the life cycle of the Mexican Jumping Bean. Mexican jumping beans are the seed of a particular shrub from Mexico, in which, a moth lays eggs that develop into larva that move. It is the movement of the larva inside the seed capsule that causes the bean to jump. During library class the students were read the book Lucas and His Loco Beans: A Bilingual Tale of the Mexican Jumping Bean. Then the students watched the beans jump. During science lab, Mr. Crader experimented with how light and heat affect the bean's jump. Students learned that both heat and light make the beans "jump" more and for longer periods of time.
