Father's hands-on education.

Mung beans has a special place in my heart. This is one lesson that I won't forget, and have used it to teach my own children and my students.

Dad was teaching one of us the siblings," Roots first or Shoots first?"

That particular sibling couldn't answer. Dad rounded all of us, and did this experiment of growing mung or green beans.

The mung beans grow quickly, and in a matter of three days, we got our answer. He also reinforced this by asking Mother to buy a packet of bean sprout. We looked carefully at the sprout. The long pale green is the root. If the sprout is too old, and shoot has started to grow, the bean sprout is useless to eat.

Once my daughter G sprouted her beans and they looked so lovely and delicious to cook. We had never cooked the tiny plants. My sis Grace asked if she could cook it, so she did. We found that mung bean plants taste hairy and bites us, so this experiment showed that the mung bean plants were inedible.
I also did this with my kids which which grows faster, in the light, it the cupboard, and why plants bend towards the light.

I did the same experiment with niece Ruth. She was really excited.

I have about ten groups of students, and I taught them to observe the life cycle of the mung bean seed. They were all very keen in doing this, and we lined our pots along the window.

What a better way for kids to learn. You may like to enjoy this lesson with your kids.

***This plants are grown on the sill, that is why they are so lush and green. It took only a week.
If you want to grow your own mung bean sprouts, it is best to grow them in the hot water cupboard. Just line your container with about five layers of paper towels. Everyday, add some water and gently tilt the container so the old water will drain out. if you don't change the water, you might get a smelly cupboard.***