plastic bottle Archives - JDaniel4s Mom

This week I have been sharing a number of space-themed activities that you can do with your children. We started the week with Constellation Exploration Mats. Today we will be gardening. This hydroponic gardening activity will be fascinating to do with your children. They will be amazed that you can grow a bean seed without soil. It will be like they are growing a seed in space.

Hydroponic Gardening with Kids

While we did our hydroponic gardening with a single large bean seed in a single-serve water bottle, you could use a 2-liter bottle and several seeds if you like.

Hydroponic Gardening Supplies:

2-liter bottle cotton balls; heavy cotton string; green bean seeds; tape
cotton balls
heavy cotton string or twine
large bean seeds
water

Getting Started

You can cut the top third of the bottle for your children if they are young. Older kids can probably cut the water bottle on their own with scissors.

Next children will need to place the top section of the bottle into the bottom section upside down. It will look like a funnel!

Then they will fill the bottle section of the bottle until it is about 1/4 of the way full.

A piece of string or twine about 6 to 8 inches will need to be cut. It will then be threaded through the neck of the bottle. You will want it to sit on the surface of the bottom of the bottle. The remaining end will be wrapped around the inside edge of the funnel.

Cotton balls will need to be pulled and stretched until they are fluffy. When they are ready, you can place them in the funnel section. Children will want to fill the funnel to the top with cotton balls.

It is now time to tuck a seed or seeds into the cotton balls. Children will want to make sure the seeds are toward the center of the cotton ball area. It will give them a chance to start growing in a completely covered area.

Then you will pour a small amount of water on the cotton balls to slightly dampen them. The string will bring them water during the hydroponic gardening process, but this gives them a little water to start with before the water rises to them.

Finally, place the space garden in a sunny spot and watch your seed grow. You may need to add water to the bottom bottle from time to time.

Oh! It is okay to lift the cotton balls and check on the seed’s progress.

If your children love gardening, here are a few more gardening projects they will enjoy.

STEM Gardening- Paper Plate Greenhouse

Planting Pumpkin Seeds in a Pumpkin

Spider Web Trellis

25 Gardening Activities for Kids- I love the ice cream cone garden!

Recycled Planter in a Sling

You will find even more gardening projects on my Gardening with Kids Board on Pinterest.

Making Waves Plastic Bottle

Supplies

Blue food coloring

Vegetable oil

Water

Plastic bottle (We used an old peanut jar to make our making waves bottle.)

Coral Reef Animals

STEM Experiment- Making Waves in a Plastic Water Bottle

Creating the Making Waves Bottle

Fill 1/3 of the plastic bottle with vegetable oil.

Fill the remaining 2/3 of the bottle with water. We didn’t fill our bottle to the brim, but you can if you like.

Add blue food coloring to the water. You will only need a few drops.

Drop in your plastic ocean animals. We used two fish from the coral reef set.

Screw the lid on tightly.

Exploring the Making Waves Bottle

Start by laying the bottle on its side. Watch what happens to the oil and the water.

Then try slowing tilting the bottle back and forth while holding it with two hands. Kids will notice that the oil and water don’t mix. They may also notice that one of the liquids forms waves and one does not.