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Potato Maze
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 Introduction
To enable photosynthesis, plants leaves and stems will grow in the direction of light. This is called phototropism, from the Greek photo for light and trope for turn. In this experiment, students will watch as a potato plant winds its way through a maze in its quest for sunlight.
Materials Needed
- Small pot filled with damp potting soil
- Shoebox
- Cardboard pieces
- Tape
- Sprouting potato (To sprout a potato, leave it out at room temperature. It might take as long as six weeks for it to sprout, depending on where your potato is and the temperature in the room. You can do this experiment with any vine plant like a bean or ivy.)
Procedure
- Plant the potato in the pot filled with damp potting soil with most of the sprouts facing up.
- Make a small, round, quarter-sized hole in the short side of the shoebox.
- Tape small pieces of cardboard into the box to create a maze through which the potato vine will wind its way toward the light. (see photograph)
- Put the potato plant in the shoebox opposite the hole and cover the box.
- Place the box on a sunny windowsill with the hole facing the light.
- Remember to water your plant every 2-3 days.
- Check your box after three or four days to observe the growth. After a while, you'll see that the sprouts find their way to the light by going around the maze walls. Because the plant needs light to produce food, it will always grow toward the light.
Once you've built a potato plant maze, try experimenting with other plants. Think of a question that you'd like answered. Like, "Do all plants grow the same way? How about a dried lima bean?" (Don't try this with the kind of lima beans that come frozen or in a can.) Make a prediction and then test it.
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