Grow Seeds

Planting seeds and watching them grow is a lovely activity to do with the kids. They learn so many things from this simple activity, they are introduced to how plants grow, they practice patience as they wait for the seeds to sprout and they learn new words such as seeds, grow, roots, shoots and sprout.

What you need:

• Egg carton
• Cotton wool balls
• Seeds (see list below)

Wet some cotton wool and put it inside the egg carton leaving a gap of about 1 cm from the top. Spread the cotton slightly to break up the fibres a little.

Sprinkle the seeds over the cotton wool and push each seed down lightly. Leave the egg carton in a warm, dry, sunny place and watch for signs of growth.

If the cotton wool starts to feel too dry sprinkle or spray with a little water. The cotton wool needs to stay moist but not overly wet as the seeds can start to rot. The seeds should start to grow in a couple of days.

Once you see roots, transfer them into a pot or the garden.

Seeds that germinate well in cotton well:

• Cress
• White mustard seeds
• Butter beans
• Mung beans
• Runner beans
• Lima beans
• Broad beans
• Peas
• Alfa alfa
• Avocados
• Lentils