Kids Planting Seeds – An Engaging Seasonal Activity

I love Montessori learning because it incorporates nature into its lessons regularly. My family and I always look forward to the months leading up to Spring. Why? Because we finally get to start our seeds for the first growing season of the year! My children love to learn about plants, seeds, and the food we eat. I especially enjoy watching my kids planting seeds. In this tutorial, we will cover HOW to include children in the process of planting seeds to start your vegetable garden.

Before you start this tutorial, search online to find out what growing zone you are located in, the planting dates that are best for the varieties of food you want to grow, and of course, think about what vegetables your family enjoys eating! Several websites specialize in selling organic seeds, or, your local hardware store is sure to carry seeds starting around the beginning of the year.

**Not sure where to look for this information? A great resource is the Farmers Almanac. You can search their site or purchase a hardcopy in stores or online here: Amazon Farmers Almanac 2024

**Tip: Now is a great time to pull out those nomenclature cards detailing the parts of a plant!

Step 1: Gather the Materials

• Soil in a large bowl, one for each child (any soil is fine as long as it isn’t too high in phosphorus )
• Egg cartons (plastic or paper will both work)
• Shish kabob sticks (If using plastic egg cartons, you will also need something sharper to poke holes, such as metal corn holders pictured below)
• Child-sized scoops or small measuring cups (Amazon Child Size Metal Scoops)
• Water bottle sprayer filled with filtered water
• One small bowl for each child’s seeds (not pictured here)
• Scissors
• Seeds
  
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step 2: Remove Lids from Egg Cartons

You’ll want to begin by cutting off the lids of the egg cartons. If you are using plastic egg cartons, this step is not necessary. The clear plastic lid can be an excellent tool for allowing sunlight to pass through while also keeping the seeds in a moist environment.

If your child is old enough to handle a pair of large scissors, they can certainly complete this step themselves. Our children’s scissors skills are not quite up to this task, so we did this for them.

step 3: Poke Holes in the Bottom of the Egg Carton

Using the shish kabob sticks, have the child poke a hole in the bottom of each section of the egg carton. The hole allows air to circulate through the soil and provides a drainage source for any extra water.

**If you are using plastic egg cartons, have the adult, NOT the child, use something sharper (such as corn holders) to poke the holes in the bottom.

step 4: Fill the Egg Cartons with Soil

Using the small scoops (or in our case, small measuring cups), have the children fill the egg cartons with the soil from their large bowl. We place the egg cartons inside a large plastic tub to contain any extra spillage from the soil (do yourself a favor and buy a bus tub of some sort from a chef store, you will be thanking yourself over and over as you complete various activities like this!).

This is not meant to be a tidy activity, so expect the soil to land all around their work area. Try your best not to control the mess or make a big deal out of spills, instead, let them enjoy themselves as they focus on carefully filling up each section to the top. If needed, fill one or two up as an example before they start so they know how full each egg carton should be. Clean-up will come at the end of the activity.

Step 5: Spread the Soil Evenly

Next, have the child gently spread the soil so each section is full and relatively flat. Help them add more soil where necessary. Doing this prepares the soil for the next step.

Step 6: Poke a Hole for the Seeds

Have the child use their little finger to poke a small hole in the center of each section. Explain to them that the hole will be used to place the seed into during the next step.

Step 7: Place the Seeds in Each Hole

Seeds come in different shapes and sizes, so depending on what you’ve chosen to grow, you will probably need to take the seeds out of their packages for the child. For large seeds like green beans or watermelon, count out the seeds and place them next to the child on the counter or in a small bowl. Smaller seeds such as broccoli or spinach have to be placed in a small bowl next to the child and counted out ahead of time before they start placing seeds. Help the child count the seeds for each hole, if necessary. My 4-year-old has no problem counting small seeds, but my 3-year-old still needs assistance with this.

*** IMPORTANT: Always remember to read the planting instructions on the back of the seed package to ensure you are planting the correct number of seeds in each hole. Some may call for 1 seed, while others may require 2 or even 3.

***Save your seed packages. They contain detailed information on transplanting dates, spacing, etc. You will need this information at a later date!

Step 8: Cover Seeds with Soil & Spray Heavily with Filtered Water

Have the child lightly spread the soil over the seeds once more so they are covered just slightly. Encourage them to be gentle with the soil so as to not disturb the seed or push the seed farther down. Once covered, have them spray the soil heavily with a spray bottle using filtered water.

Step 9: Label Your Starts & Place in a South Facing Window

Write your labels and have the child place them in their corresponding cartons. Afterwards, place the starts in a south-facing window to ensure plenty of sunlight.

Step 10: Clean Up

Always encourage the child to do their best at cleaning up. Planting seeds is a fun but messy task. You may choose to do this entirely outside, but we live in a very wet region and this kind of activity isn’t very enjoyable in the rain with a toddler. Do not be afraid to complete this indoors! Dry dirt is easily vacuumed or swept up.

Step 11: Watch Them Grow & Prepare to Transplant

Encourage the child to check in on the plants daily to spray the soil with more filtered water and watch the seeds sprout and grow. When you check on the plants with them, take a minute to discuss one of the topics I’ve listed below. I promise they will be excited to talk about them!

Topics to talk about while waiting, watching, and observing:

• What do the seeds need to grow? (air, sun, water, warmth)
• Sizes of the stems or leaves
• Count the number of leaves on different plants
• Colors of the stems and leaves and/or the shades of the colors
• Discuss how each one looks different or the same
• Measure the plant height with a ruler and keep track on a log
• Count the number of plants that have sprouted or the ones that haven’t
• Discuss the soil- How dry or wet is it?

Step 12: Transplant Your Seedlings

When the last frost in your region has passed and your starters are ready for transplanting, have the child help prepare the soil for planting, such as weeding the area and raking the soil. Assist the child with placing and spacing the plants in your garden beds or directly into the ground. Refer back to your seed packages for detailed instructions on how far apart each plant should be placed. Don’t ignore these instructions and try to squish them together, as they will not have the room to grow that is required!

As I am writing this post, we are still waiting to complete this last step. I will include a few images once we have these starts in our garden beds!

Do you have any vegetables you look forward to growing every year? Know any special hacks/tricks for preparing for the growing season with young children? Comment below! I’d love to hear how you choose to include and educate the children in your life about the food we grow and eat!

If you enjoyed this tutorial, you’ll love my tutorial on how to include children in the kitchen making cookies >>here.<<

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