The Science of Seeds
Enhance your child’s love of learning by helping her see the beauty and power of life right before her eyes! Not only is this a great bonding activity for you and your child, it’s also a great opportunity to connect God’s miracle of life to a simple, hands-on science experiment. It involves seed germination and watching them grow into plants. Seeds don’t need soil to germinate, so you can “plant” them in a sunny window and watch them start to sprout right away! What You Need
- Bean Seeds
- Paper Towel
- Plastic Baggie
- Tape
You don’t need seeds meant for planting for this experiment — dry beans from the grocery store will work!Tips For The Best Results
- Dried beans can be a choking hazard for small children, so make sure to watch your children closely during the experiment.
- For best results, choose a window that gets plenty of light but that won’t blast your seeds with intense sunlight all day long.
- If you do this activity during colder months, tape the bag to a clear glass or vase in a sunny spot indoors, instead of a window where the outside temperature might affect your seed growth.
What To Do
- Soak your beans in water overnight, then drain them before placing them in the bag.
- Dampen a paper towel and fold it into the bag.
- Place your seeds along one side of the bag, pressing them against the paper towel. Seal the bag tightly, and use tape to hang it in a window.
- Make sure the beans are visible on the side of the window where your children will be observing them.
- After 24 hours, you should see the seeds start to pop open and sprout!
- Within 3-7 days, you’ll have completely sprouted seeds. After that, you may even see the leaves begin to emerge.
- Once leaves have begun emerging, it’s time to transfer your seeds to soil. Plant them in a small planter and continue to watch them grow!
Throughout the experiment, encourage your child to keep a journal where she records her observations and monitor the beans’ progress. Discuss together how important sunlight was for the experiment, and consider how sometimes we as humans are like the beans and God is our sunlight; we grow so much when we are in His presence.Our blog page has helpful hints for parents to encourage their children to excel academically, spiritually, and socially. To learn more about Catholic schools in Orlando, contact us at 407-246-4800.