A bean plant has a life story. It starts as a seed and ends by making new seeds. Then the story starts all over again. That is why we call it a life cycle: it goes around like a circle.
Key idea
Seed → sprout → young plant → adult plant with flowers → pod (fruit) with seeds, and around again.
Why it works
A plant has to grow big and strong before it can make flowers. The flowers make seeds, and a pod grows around them. When the new seeds land in soil, each one can start a new plant.
Worked example: Let's think it through
Which comes first: the young plant or the flowers?
- A sprout grows more leaves and becomes a young plant.
- The young plant keeps growing.
- When it is grown, it makes flowers.
Answer: The young plant comes first.
Common mistake
Children sometimes put the flowers before the young plant, or stop at the flowers. Remember the end: the flowers turn into a pod with seeds, and the seeds start the cycle again.
For the grown-up. If you sprouted beans in A Seed Starts to Grow, plant one in a pot by a sunny window. Bush beans can flower and make pods in a couple of months.