We are beginning to celebrate Spring in our house whether the weather wants to cooperate or not! One of my favorite ways to kick-off spring is by getting the garden ready. I love the fresh produce and keeping the kids involved is a great way to get them excited about all of those colorful veggies! We decided to repurpose some egg cartons to start our seedlings inside instead of waiting for warmer weather. This also has the added benefit of giving the kids a close-up of how plants grow. A great way to kick off our life cycle exploration! We will be focusing on plants and butterflies for these units. I start most projects with a vinyl or plastic tablecloth and a plastic bin to contain the mess.
The kids gets excited when they see this come out!
I like to put small materials (seeds) out on to trays, it makes them look so inviting when the little ones come over to see what kind of fun we are about to dig in to!
Who can resist playing in the dirt?? I know by now you are all saying “Is she crazy?! Dirt in the house!?” But yes, I encourage messes around here, and when you are stuck inside all day you make do. Besides, lets be honest, my floor needs vacuuming and the kids need a bath every day anyway (and thats what the tablecloth is for, spills are going to happen).
Fill up the cartons about halfway with some potting soil, sprinkle a couple seeds in each hole and then top them off with some more soil. We started with spoons for scooping and then ended up just digging in with our hands. We planted corn and beans, two of M’s favorite veggies.
I knew that M would not be able to resist dumping an entire watering can of water into the bin and flooding our newly planted seeds, so we went with a spray bottle instead. And that’s it! Once they have sprouted and the roots are beginning to outgrow the container it’s time to put them in the ground or into a larger pot. The best part is that the cardboard egg cartons is that each little pod can be cut apart and put right into the ground! If you only have styrofoam cartons you just need to take the plant out of the carton first, the roots should be established enough to hold it all in place.
We decided not to stop there and made some dirt muffins and cookies for a little added play!
[…] You definitely don’t need a full-sized garden in your backyard to garden with kids! Start some seedlings indoors to get a closer look at how they grow, and start a journal or a graph of their progress with your […]