Grow a Hairy Harry

Growing a ‘Hairy Harry’ provides a great opportunity for children to explore collecting and recording data.

For this activity, you will need:

• an old pair of stockings (or socks – the thinner, the better)
• grass seeds (or any seedlings)
• planting soil
• a jar.

Optional:

• buttons or stickers to create Harry’s ‘face’.

Cut off the stocking leg, but leave enough room to tie a knot at the ankle and some overhang that will be the height of the jar.

Fill the socking with the seedlings first and then the planting soil.

Tie a knot in the end to secure the dirt and place the ‘Harry’ on top of the jar, with the ‘tail’ inside the jar.

Fill the jar with water. The stocking will soak up the water and feed the seedlings.

Keep your Hairy Harry in a warm sunny area (such as a windowsill) and make sure he does not run out of water. In a few days, Harry should start to sprout hair.

Ask your child to record the growth of Harry’s hair.

For example you might set up a table with Day 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.

Each day your child can inspect Harry and describe how long Harry’s Hair is, using a units of measure to track his growth.

For example, day 1 might be ‘no hair’, day 2 might be ‘as tall as a one LEGO block’. Day 5 might be ‘as tall as a two LEGO blocks” etc.