Nessa's Carrot Watch
When her carrot seeds take longer than expected to sprout, Nessa uses a garden notebook to help her wait patiently and keep caring for them.
Play the quiz as a gameNessa planted a short row of carrot seeds beside her family's tool shed. She pressed a wooden marker into the dirt. Then she opened her garden notebook. Under the heading "Carrot Watch," she drew the row and wrote the date.
For a week Nessa hurried outside each morning. Each morning she found bare dirt. On the eighth day she frowned. "I thought I would see green by now." She picked up a small shovel. "Maybe I should dig down and check."
Uncle Ravi shook his head. "Digging could disturb the seeds. Carrot seeds can take two or three weeks to sprout. Cool soil can make them take longer."
Nessa set down the shovel. She added a plan to her notebook: "Keep the soil damp. Look without digging." Each day she checked the soil with a fingertip and watered lightly when it began to dry.
On day fifteen the row still looked empty. Nessa sighed but left her shovel in the shed. Instead she drew another picture of the row. Its caption said, "Still waiting, still caring." She put a check beside her care plan.
On day nineteen a thin green loop poked through the soil. Nessa knelt beside it. "You were busy where I couldn't see!" she whispered. By afternoon she had spotted four more.
She ran to show Uncle Ravi her notebook. Then she added a new picture beneath the heading. This time tiny green marks dotted the row. "I'm glad I was patient," she said. "I'll keep caring for them while they grow."