We have only had the bean seeds planted in the translucent plastic Easter eggs for a short time. If you decided to try this seed germination STEM activity, you will be conducting it at the same time we are.
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You may want to read the gardening books that inspired this activity to your kids before you start it. We looked over the collection books found in the Lois Ehlert’s Growing Garden Gift Set. It includes the booksPlanting a Rainbow, Eating the Alphabet, andGrowing Vegetable Soup
Getting Ready for the Seed Germination Activity
You will need to purchase a set of transparent plastic Easter eggs to plant small lima bean seeds into. You will also need potting soil and an old egg carton for this project.
Starting the Seed Germination Activity
Your children will need to place potting soil into one end of each plastic egg. They can decide if they want to put soil in the top or the bottom section of the egg.
Then they will place the end of the egg with the soil in it into the egg carton open side up.
Next, they will place a small lima bean seed into the soil in each of the eggs.
Then children will need to lightly water the soil and seed.
Finally, they will place the end of each egg that doesn’t have soil in it on top of the side that does. This will create seed germination greenhouses for the seed to grow in.
You will want to place the egg carton holding the tiny greenhouses in a warm sunny spot.
STEM Learning
Your children will have fun journaling about how each of the seeds is growing in a spiral notebook or gardening journal.
- They can note how each of the seeds is doing in its greenhouse.
- Children can predict what color of egg house will get the most sunlight.
- They can note if certain colored egg greenhouses are housing seeds that are growing better than others.
- Children can create a hypothesis of what made each of the plant’s growth the same or different.
If you like this gardening idea, here are some more STEM gardening activities, we have done.
Hydroponic Gardening in a Plastic Bottle
Creating a Paper Plate Greenhouse
Growing Pumpkin Seeds in a Pumpkin
Creating a Spider Web Gardening Trellis
This post is part of the Storybook Science Series hosted by Inspiration Laboratories.