Have you tried growing beans in a bag in the window? This is a great garden science experiment for kids.
It's really quick and easy to get going and then you and the kids get to enjoy checking on the bean growth daily. My kids were so surprised how quickly they grew. They had spouted in just one day, unlike waiting for the avocado seed we also set up.
What you'll need to get started:
Plastic sandwich bags
a bowl of water
cotton balls or paper towels
Beans
Tape
Print this template (optional)
The steps:
You'll want to start the night before you plan to put your seeds in window. I had the kids put the beans into a bowl of water right before bed time. Soaking the beans will soften them and they will sprout sooner.
When you're ready to get your garden science experiment going just set out your supplies on the counter, including the bowl of beans. We decided to make it more fun by having a race to see who's beans sprouted the quickest. We each chose a different way to put water in the bags. Henry dipped cotton balls into the bowl of water and rang them out. Lilly Ann simply dunked hers in the bowl of water and dropped them into her bag. That meant hers had more water. I used a paper towel that I dipped into the water and rang out. You are welcome to use whichever item you have on hand. Spoiler, while they all grew at about the same rate, mine had one bean that was a clear winner.
So all you need to do is dunk your cotton balls or paper towel in water and place it in your bag. Then pick out a few beans to drop in there. We each used 3. You don't want to over crowd the bag. Using only a few beans will ensure there will be enough room in your bag to have space to grow. Then zip the bags closed and tape them to a window that gets a good amount of sun. Make sure you place the beans on the side of the cotton balls or paper towel that will face you so that you can easily watch them grow.
The beans sprouted the next day. We watched ours grow for a week and then transferred them to a pot. Once they grow more we'll move them to the vegetable garden. It was a fun experiment.
Have you tried growing beans in a bag in the window? How did it go?
*Update. We decided to do this project again so I made a cute green house template for them to put around their beans. You can download the template for free if you'd like to use one as well.
