Gardening for Kids: Germinating Seeds

I love seeing all of the signs of spring popping up around the web from our friends in Australia! Kate from An Everyday Story is here to share some great tips on germinating seeds with the little gardeners in our lives.

It’s spring here in Australia. All around us the plants and trees are awakening from their winter slumber. The yellow wattle trees are in full bloom and the neighborhood is bursting with blossom trees in all shades of pink, white and brilliant red.

We’ve been spending a lot of time in the garden this last week; tending to our neglected little vegetable plot. Not much beats turning over soil, pulling weeds and spending time in the warm sun.

My son Jack (4yrs) has been curious about how plants grow, he wanted to germinate some seeds.

So with a tiny greenhouse from the hardware store and mix of seeds left over from last season, Jack and Sarah (2yrs) planted their seeds. We planted corn, snow peas and sunflowers.

We talked about what seeds need to grow, why the roots grow down and the plant grows up. We also planted one snow pea seed in a glass jar with some wet cotton wool and placed them on the windowsill.

Everyday Jack checks his seed to see how it is growing. Having the seed in the glass jar means Jack and Sarah can see what is happening underneath the soil in their tiny greenhouse.

First we noticed the seed swelling, then a small dot appeared on the seed. The following day a tiny root appeared. Soon a little green plant emerged from the seed.

If you’re heading out into the garden to plant some seeds with your little ones, I really recommend germinating a couple of seeds in a glass jar. While the seeds sit hidden in the soil, the glass jar gives the child a little window into what is happening, maintaining their interest in the project for longer.

We are looking forward to when our seedlings pop through the soil and transplanting them into the vegetable garden. I do really love gardening with children; plants, especially vegetables, require long term care while providing wonderful hands-on learning experiences along the way.

And at the end of all that hard work and care, they will have some delicious vegetables to harvest and eat. That is always the most exciting part.