Students could replicate the experiment using cress, but instead of focusing on the soil uptake, give the plants different quantities of fertiliser in their soil to test its effect on growth.

It’s really true—science can be fun! Engaging kids with hands-on experiments activates multiple parts of the brain, which means they’re more likely to retain what they’ve learned.

In 1634, Jan Baptist van Helmont was arrested by agents of the Spanish Inquisition for the crime of studying plants and other phenomena. While under house arrest, he started to consider how plants ...