Plant Light Maze

This STEM classroom activity invites children to create a maze inside a box and watch as a plant solves the puzzle to reach for the light. It's a fantastic way to see how plants grow and move, while learning about nature and light in a hands-on way.

You will need

  • Bean seeds

  • dirt

  • cup

  • scissors

  • cardboard box

  • card (black card or extra thick card to block out the light)

  • stickytape

  • Optional – sign for your box

How to

1. Plant your seed – plant a bean seed in a cup of dirt (buried about 2.5cm deep. You may want to plant a few cups ahead of time to make sure the bean sprouts.
2. Water your plant.
3. Time to prepare your maze! Cut a hole in the top left corner of your box – this is the maze exit.
4. Make a divider out of thick card (black card recommended to block out the light) – measure the width and depth of your box and make your card divider to fit in this space (an extra centimetre at either side will be useful for sticking the paper in).
5. Cut a hole in the right-hand side of your divider.
6. Insert the divider into the box – fold sides down and stick down to the sides of the box.
7. Put the cup in the box – place the cup with the seed (or sprout) at the start of the maze, opposite the hole in your divider. (We waited until our seed had sprouted and cut our cup down to fit).
8. Close the box – ensure that the only light entering the box is through the uncovered maze hole at the top.
9. Wait and watch: place the box outside (but under cover from the rain), or near a bright window. Over time, watch the plant grow towards the light, finding its way through the maze. Be patient and check on your plant every few days to see how it's doing and to make sure the soil stays moist.

Discussion questions and activities

  • How long did the plant take to grow through the maze?

  • What things do you think help a plant grow faster or slower?

  • Why do plants grow towards where the light is?
    How does light help a plant grow? What else is light useful for?

  • What makes a shadow? Why are shadows important for plants, animals, and people?
    Do you think plants like or don't like shadows? Why?

  • How tall is your plant? What other things are this size? Can you name three things that are bigger than your plant and three things that are smaller than your plant?

  • Did you know that you can tell how old a tree is by the rings in its trunk? If a tree trunk is cut, you can see rings inside. Each ring is one year of the tree's life. So, if you count all the rings, you will know how many years old the tree is. For example, if there are ten rings, the tree is ten years old.

  • Many trees live longer than animals and even dinosaurs. Research how long trees can live and how long different animals live. What animals live the longest? What trees live the longest?

Have you enjoyed learning about light, nature, and time? Keep exploring at our interactive installation Superluminal, showing at the South Australian Museum, in July/August 2024.

More activities to try

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Colour Chromatography Activity In this simple STEM activity, children learn about colour mixing and separation in a hands-on way. Using a coffee filter and black marker, discover the different colours that make up black ink.
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Galaxy Jar Create your own miniature galaxy in a jar.
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