How To Grow Tomatoes For Kids

Sciences projects provide an interesting method for teaching children lessons about their environment and the plants and animals that surround them. Helping children grow tomato plants provides hands-on learning through experimentation. Used in a classroom setting, Sunday school study groups or as a family activity at home, growing tomato plants from seeds teaches children important lessons about the life cycles of plant life. These annual plants go through all the stages of life in a single year, providing an opportunity to teach children about germination, maturation, reproduction and death.

Step 1

Show the children a diagram of a tomato plant, including the roots, blossoms, stems, leaves and fruits. Explain to the children that they will grow these types of plants from seeds. Discuss the expected timeline for this project, advising them that they will eventually get to eat the fruits of their labor.

Step 2

Cover your work area with newspaper to contain spills. Pass out a biodegradable pot to each child. Help them fill their small pots with potting soil to a level about an inch below the upper rims of the pots. Have the children lay three or four tomato seeds over the top of their soil and show them how to sprinkle about 1/8 inch of soil over the tops of their seeds. Have them gently pat down the surface of the soil to create a firm contact between the seeds and the soil. Help them slowly pour water over their planted seeds until a slight amount of moisture dampens the bottoms of their biodegradable pots.

Step 3

Place the pots in a waterproof tray, and set them on a sunny windowsill. Keep the soil slightly moist for the first couple of weeks. Encourage the children to check the development of their seeds everyday to observe the sprouts emerging from the soil. Explain that the seedlings need both sunlight and moisture to sprout and grow.

Step 4

Demonstrate how to thin out seedlings when the plants reach about 1 inch tall. Help the children pick out the strongest seedling in their pots and pinch out the others to avoid crowding. Continue to keep the soil slightly moist near the developing roots.

Step 5

Transplant the young seedlings outdoors after the final frost. Help the children dig holes about twice the width of their seed pots, mixing the removed soil with equal amounts of potting soil to form a loose mixture of well-drained soil. Set the pots in the center of the holes, and backfill with the amended soil. Press out any air pockets, and water well to dampen the soil throughout the region of the roots.

Step 6

Harvest the tomatoes when ripe. Show the children the seeds inside the tomatoes, and discuss how the seeds they planted grew and matured to form seeds of their own.