100th Day of School Garden

What You Do:

1. Tell your child that for the 100th day of school, he will count 100 flower seeds, plant some flower seeds, and chart their growth for 100 days!
2. Open each seed packet, but keep seeds near packets (to remember which kind they are). Count 10 seeds from each packet. Remind your child that 10 x 10 equals 100: he has counted 100 flower seeds!
3. Help your child use potting soil to plant seeds inside the planter, or plant seeds in an outside area if you can. Follow planting directions on seed packets for each kind of flower. You may plant 10 seeds or less of each flower, depending on space. If you plant at least 1 seed of each flower, your child can chart and compare 10 kinds of flowers. Put a label by each kind of flower seed planted.
4. Help your child create a chart with 10 columns across (named for each kind of flower seed planted), and 100 rows going down, numbered 1 to 100. You’ll need to continue rows on the back of the paper and a 2nd sheet. The rows are for 100 days of observing each kind of seed’s growth.
5. The first few days on the chart he’ll write “no growth yet.” Around day 7 to 20, depending on what flowers were planted, he can record when a green bud becomes visible! After that he can record plant height and when flower blooms make an appearance (around day 40 or higher, depending on the flower). Exciting!

Optional for plastic planter: Your child may want to decorate it with 100 flower stickers!