It was April Fools’ Day. Colleen wondered who would try to play a joke. Each afternoon’s routine now included checking the beans. On the way back from lunch, Colleen instructed the children to pick up their beans in the cups and observe. They observed whether the soil was damp and whether they could spot any growth. The children were disappointed that nothing had happened.
“It takes a while for the roots to pop out. You can’t see them under the dirt. Let’s check the ones in the bags inside.”
Colleen was glad that the fluorescent lights in the classroom provided enough light that some of the beans in the bags had started to sprout in just three days. No one had noticed in the morning.
“There isn’t enough room for all of us to observe the bags taped to the bulletin board. Row one, would you please be our first observers?”
Seven children crowded around the bulletin board in the back of their classroom.
“Miz Rodriguez, I see some squiggly white roots popping out of my bean,” Jarrod said.
“Excellent observation. Did your bean in the cup have any roots, Jarrod?”
He shook his head.
“What do you think is happening in the cup?”
He shrugged his shoulders.
“Take a guess, Jarrod.”
“Maybe my bean has roots?”
“That’s right. We couldn’t see the roots in the cup because they’re under the dirt, but we should see the green shoots pop out soon.”
His smile was so broad that it filled his face and Colleen’s heart. He had finally gained confidence. “I’m proud of you, Jarrod. You took a chance, and you were right.”
By the end of the day, Colleen was surprised that not one child had played an April Fools’ joke. Did they know about it? She would find out.
“Children, before we go home, I have a surprise for you, but I need you all to be seated and looking at me. Are you ready?”
She reviewed the bean-planting process and reminded them that even if you don’t have dirt, seeds can sprout. She handed out filled sandwich bags to each child.
“Take a look. What do you see in the bags?”
“It looks like cereal,” Linkston said.
“Cheerios,” Cynthia added.
“Oh, no, that’s not what these are,” Colleen said. “They’re seeds.”
“Miz Rodriguez, these are not seeds. These here are for breakfast,” Jarrod said.
“No, these are special seeds—these are donut seeds. Didn’t you ever hear about donut seeds? If you take good care of them like you did with the bean seeds, you can have a crop of donuts.”
Thirty pairs of hungry eyes popped as wide as their open mouths.
“What flavors? Chocolate?” Jarrod asked.
Excited children looked at each other and shook their filled bags.
“Strawberry frosted?” a hesitant voice called out from the back.
Cynthia held up her bag of Cheerios and said, “Y’all, these seeds are vanilla.”
Linkston shook his head in disbelief and caught Colleen’s eye.
She winked at him and said, “April Fools’!”
They laughed. “You tricked us!”
Unfazed, Jarrod asked, “Miz Rodriguez, can we eat them?”
“Yes. Enjoy the donut seeds, everyone.”