The grass is always greener on the other side of winter. Most of us start longing for the green season of spring when the days start getting shorter and cooler. This activity brings the green grass of early spring inside while teaching your child about the cycles of growth.
What You Need:
- Terracotta pot or planter
- Acrylic paints
- Paintbrush
- Grass seed – go to a garden supply store and see if they sell this in bulk so you can buy a small amount – about a handful
- Soil
What You Do:
- Have your child paint his pot with a sun to represent the sun's light needed to give the seeds heat and energy to grow. Paint rain which the seeds need for water to grow. Let this dry.
- Add soil to the pot. Fill it to about 1 inch from the top.
- Have your child sprinkle a small handful of seeds onto the soil and gently tap them down.
- Sprinkle water onto the seeds. A good way to do this is to hold your hand in the stream of water. You don't want to disturb the seeds but you want to soak your soil. Make sure your soil stays damp for the next several days. It will take up to a week for your grass to germinate (sprout).
- Place the pot in a warm, sunny window.
- Once the grass starts to grow, make sure you rotate the pot so that all sides of the grass get the same amount of sunshine.
- When it gets long and thick your child can trim it with a scissors and "mow" his grass.
- Help your child to make a chart and record how many days it took until his grass germinated.
- Continue the chart and measure how tall the grass grows.
This is a great way to incorporate math into a fun activity while calling attention to the changing of the season. Plus, your child will be reinforcing important science concepts such as what plants need in order to grow.
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