Materials
Floor mat or plastic Wading pool
Several 40 lb. (20 kg) bags of potting soil Corn and beans
Trowel, shovel, rake Water cans
Popsicle sticks Index cards
Tape Crayons
Camera Ruler or tape measure
Instructions
1. Place the floor mat underneath the wading pool.
2. Let the children place one to two inches (2.
5 cm to 5 cm) of potting soil in the pool. Soil play can be fun before adding seeds!3. Add the corn and beans to the soil, making sure they are covered, and water them. The seeds in the pool do not have to be outdoors to grow. The seeds should sprout within 2 to 8 days if the soil is kept moist but not saturated.
5. Make plant cards for the planted seeds by drawing on the index cards and placing them beside the seeds.
6. Watch the plants grow. As the seeds sprout, talk about the roots, stems, leaves, etc. that make up a plant, and how the seed opens to allow the plant to make a stalk.
7. Measure the plant's growth periodically.
8. Take photos of the planting process and the sprouting seeds to chart the growth.
9. If you have an outside garden, you can grow the plants from early spring through early fall.
10. Add a scarecrow to the garden, if desired, using paper or small clothing stuffed with straw. Stand the scarecrow in the garden with a yardstick attached to its back.More to doLanguage: Make a storybook of the plant growth process. Allow the children to draw pictures of the step-by-step process each day. Notice how the drawings reflect what the children have experienced. This can be a cooperative storybook or each child may make one. Create titles and make sure to include any and all explanations of the pictures drawn.More science: Plant seeds both inside and outside to compare the growth of the same items in different environments. Notice and discuss similarities and differences Sand and water table: Have mud play or soil play at the water table. Add shovels, gardening tools, gardening gloves, seeds (grass or birdseed).
