1. Bean Seeds in a Bag
You need:
A little clear plastic sandwich bag
A bean seed or two
Compost to fill the bottom three inches of the bag
Water
Sticky tape
You do:
Punch a few little holes in the base of the sandwich bag
Wet the soil in the bag until it is nicely moist but not soaking
Plant the bean seed[s] about a inch below the surface of the compost
Tape the bag to a sunny window
You see:
Bean seeds are quick to germinate and very visual so if you check the bag every day, you will soon see the seed starting to grow roots, loosing its jacket, sending up a shoot and growing leaves
When the seed has germinated and has grown two true leaves (the first two leaves you see are the "seed leaves", wait until another two are grown), transfer it to a pot of compost and keep the soil moist. Finally move to the ground or a large pot when the plant is about 3 inches high.
2. Gardening in a Glove
You need:
A clear plastic glove
5 cotton balls
[Ideally] 5 varieties of seed - I'd suggest bean, basil, radish, carrot, spinach but almost anything will work
Water
Sticky tape
You do:
Wet the cotton balls and put one in each finger of the glove (hold the glove upside down by the wrist)
Place a seed in each cotton ball - for large seeds like beans use just one, but for small seeds sprinkle a few.
Write the variety of seed on each finger
Blow into the bag to fill with air and tie the top of the glove
Tape to a sunny window sill
You see:
The seeds will [hopefully] germinate, and all at different rates. You'll learn which types of vegetables grow faster and how different they look at each stage
Make it fun by asking your children to predict which seedlings will emerge first.
