A Science Experiment for Little Gardeners

Gardening with children is a lot of fun! My boys loved to be in the garden with me, especially when they were little. In my mind, there are few things more enjoyable than time spent outside, digging in the dirt, planting, and harvesting.

Here is an interesting and fun activity for kids to see how God is the brilliant Gardener. The Lord provides us with plants to eat, many of which begin from tiny seeds! Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food” (Genesis 1:29).

Science for Little Gardeners: Watch Them Sprout

Materials: bean seeds, ZipLoc bag, paper towels, tape, sunlit window

Instructions: Soak bean seeds in water overnight to soften. Fold paper towels to fit snuggly in the bag. Moisten with water. Arrange seeds in bag on paper towel. Carefully press air from bag when sealing. Beans will stay in place if air is removed. Hang in window with tape, beans toward sunlight. After the seeds have sprouted allow your children to examine the germinating seeds with a magnifying glass. Use the following questions to get the discussion going.

What do you think will happen to the seeds? Why?
What will make the seeds grow?
What helps you grow? People are like seeds. God gives us everything we need to learn about Him and grow closer to Him. (Bible, parents, teachers, the world, etc.)
What color are the roots?
What color is the sprout?
Which direction do the roots go?
Which direction does the sprout go?
What lessons can we learn about God from bean seeds?

Encourage your children to hang the bag in a window upside down. Discuss what might happen. Record the results. (The roots will always turn down, the sprout and leaves will go up. This will happen even if the children continue to turn the bags!) Plant seedlings in small plastic cups or in the garden.

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him.
Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught,
and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:7 NLT

© 2012 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.

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Photo by Francesco Gallarotti on Unsplash