Mini Minds Hub · Free printable
Bean Growing Diary: Free Printable Chart for Year 2
- ForYear 2
- StageKey Stage 1
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Bean Growing Diary is a free printable science chart for Year 2 (ages 6 to 7). Children plant a bean, look at it closely and draw how it changes on Day 1, Day 3, Day 5, Day 7, Day 10 and Day 14. There are lines for writing and boxes for drawing or notes. It needs only a pencil, a bean, a jar and some damp kitchen paper.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages. Give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. It has notes, help ideas, a stretch idea and answers. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children grow a bean and keep a diary of what they see. The chart has lines for writing and boxes for drawing or notes, set out by day: Day 1, Day 3, Day 5, Day 7, Day 10 and Day 14. Each visit is a chance to look closely, draw what is there, and add a few words or a measurement. By the end, the pages show the whole story of the plant.
- Day 1
- Day 3
- Day 5
- Day 7
- Day 10
- Day 14
Setting up your bean jar
Choose the right bean
Use runner or broad beans. Never use raw kidney beans. Pick a bean that looks whole and undamaged, with no cracks or marks.
Make the damp bed
Fold a piece of kitchen paper so it fits inside a clear jar. Wet it until it is damp, not dripping. Slide the bean between the paper and the glass so you can see it.
Find a bright spot
Stand the jar by a window where it gets daylight. Keep it away from a radiator or a cold draught.
Look, draw and keep damp
Check the jar every day. Draw what you see on the chart days. If the paper feels dry, ask a grown up to help you add a little water.
Why grow a bean?
A bean is a big seed, so it is easy for small hands to hold and easy to see. When it is placed against the glass of a clear jar, children can watch changes that usually happen hidden in soil. That makes it a good first plant for Year 2 scientists, who are learning to observe closely and describe what they notice.
Every seed holds a tiny plant and a store of food. The outer skin protects it. When the seed gets water and the conditions suit it, it starts to grow. A diary helps children see that growth happens over time. Drawing slows them down and makes them look at shape, size and position, which are real scientific habits.
Use runner or broad beans. Raw kidney beans are poisonous, so never use them. Do not eat the seeds, and keep small seeds away from babies and toddlers. Wash hands after touching soil or beans. If you try the bulb idea, a grown up should choose and handle the bulb, and nobody should eat it.
Bean facts for curious children
- A bean seed has a tiny baby plant inside it, plus stored food to help it begin.
- The skin around a bean is called the seed coat. It protects the seed.
- A seed needs water before it can start to grow.
- Roots usually grow down and shoots usually grow up.
- Runner bean plants climb by twisting their stems around canes or strings.
Skills and curriculum link
- Observing closely
- Drawing from life
- Describing change
- Plant needs
- Recording over time
- Using measuring words
Helpful ideas for grown ups
- Damp, not soakedKitchen paper should feel like a wrung out sponge. A seed that sits in standing water can struggle, and a seed that dries out cannot grow.
- Why a clear jarGlass lets children see parts of the plant that are normally hidden. Place the bean against the side so it stays in view.
- Why draw each timeDrawing makes children notice details. Ask them to show the shape, the colour and where each part is. Labels and a few words add extra detail.
- Slow and patientSome beans change quickly and others take longer. Both are normal. The diary records what really happens, so there are no wrong drawings.
Key words
- SeedA small package that can grow into a new plant.
- RootThe part of a plant that grows down and takes in water.
- ShootThe part that grows up and becomes the stem and leaves.
- GerminateTo start to grow, as a seed does.
- ObserveTo look carefully and notice details.
- DiaryA record of what you see, written or drawn day by day.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Set up the bean jar together. Choose a runner or broad bean, damp kitchen paper and a bright windowsill.
- Look at the bean each day. On the chart days, let your child draw what they see and add a few words.
- Talk about what has changed since the last visit. Use words like bigger, taller, longer and thinner.
- Check page 2 together at the end. Then try the stretch idea, or grow another bean another time.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Use a ruler and a grown up to help you measure. Say big, small and taller out loud as you look. Draw only one thing at a time, such as the root first, then the shoot. A short label is enough.
To stretch confident children
Plant a second bean in a dark cupboard and compare it with the first. Keep everything else the same, including the damp paper and the jar. Draw both plants each time. Describe how they look different.
Make it a game
Try planting a bulb and a seed side by side and see which grows faster. A grown up should choose and handle the bulb. Guess first, then draw both each time you look and see whose guess was closest.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forThe paper dries out and the bean looks the same for days.
Try thisCheck the paper every day. Ask a grown up to add a little water so it stays damp, not dripping.
Watch forThe drawing is tiny or only shows the whole jar.
Try thisFill the box with the bean and its parts. Ask your child to point out the root, the shoot and the seed coat, then draw each one.
Watch forDays get missed and the diary has gaps.
Try thisStick a note by the jar with the chart days. Or look every day and only draw on the chart days.
Talk about it
- What can you see today that you could not see last time?
- Which part of the bean do you think will grow next?
- Why do you think we put the jar by a window?
- How could we measure how much it has grown?
- What do you think would happen if the paper dried out?
- Which of your drawings do you like best, and why?
Take it off the page
Plant detectives
Go outside and look at plants in the garden or park. Draw one leaf and one flower or stem. Talk about what is the same and different from your bean.
Seed sort
Gather different seeds from the kitchen or garden, such as beans, peas and sunflower seeds. Sort them by size, shape or colour. Draw your favourite.
Growing story
Write or tell a short story from the point of view of the bean seed, from planting to the first shoot.
Who it is for
Parents
Set up the jar together and let your child lead the looking and drawing. Ask what they notice before you explain anything. Praise careful looking, not neat pictures.
Teachers
Use it as part of a Year 2 plants topic, as a long running observation task, or as a take home project. Display the diaries to compare how different beans grow. Page 2 supports mixed groups.
Home educators
Pair it with a library book about seeds and a walk to spot plants. Brothers and sisters can each grow a bean. Compare diaries, or repeat it later with another seed.
Where this fits in science
Before this, children in Year 1 learn to name common garden and wild plants and describe the basic parts of a plant, such as the leaf, stem and root. Looking closely and talking about what they see is the groundwork for a growing diary.
After this, children go on to look at what plants need to live and grow, and how the parts of a flowering plant work. Keeping careful records over time is a skill they will use in many other science topics.
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Bean Growing Diary for?
It is written for Year 2, ages 6 to 7, in Key Stage 1. Younger children can join in with help, and older children can try the stretch idea and add measurements.
- What do we need to do the activity?
You need a runner or broad bean, kitchen paper, a clear jar, a bright windowsill, a pencil and the printed chart. It needs no screen, and black and white printing works well.
- Can children eat the beans?
No. The seeds are for growing, not eating, and raw kidney beans are poisonous so never use them. Keep small seeds away from babies and toddlers, and wash hands after touching beans or soil.
- What if the bean does not grow?
Do not worry, it can happen. Check the paper is damp, not dry or soaked, and that the jar is somewhere light and not cold. Then try a fresh bean. The diary still records what you saw.
- What does the sheet teach?
It supports the Key Stage 1 science strand on plants. Children observe how seeds grow into plants and find out that plants need water, light and a suitable temperature.
- Is it suitable for teachers to use in class?
Yes. It works as a long running observation task, a homework project or a table activity. It needs only printing and a few simple items, and page 2 gives support and stretch ideas.
- What is on page 2?
Page 2 is for the grown up. It has notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, a stretch idea and answers. Keep it separate from page 1.
Preview the full PDF
Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.