Planting flowers seeds with your child can teach them about the growth of the seeds into mature plants. It can also help them appreciate nature and learn about being responsible and caring for living things. Annuals, including marigolds, daisies, petunias, nasturtiums, zinnias and sunflowers, are good choices for this project, These plants sprout, grow and flower relatively quickly, keeping your child interested. A few simple items can get you and your child started planting flower seeds.
Step 1
Select seeds with your child for a type of flowering plant that will grow well in your area, if you plan to eventually plant outdoors. Take into consideration the moisture requirements, soil conditions, temperature and the need for sun or shade of the flowering plant. Choose a plant that you can start indoors first, allowing your child to observe the growth of the seedlings more easily.
Step 2
Obtain a seedling tray from your home improvement store or garden center. The tray provides space for multiple individual plantings. Fill the tray receptacles with potting soil, or better yet, have your child do this task. Explain to your child how the soil provides a place for roots to grow and how the plant uses the soil for its nutrients.
Step 3
Open the seed packet and pour out some of the seeds on a sheet of white paper. Examine the seeds with your child. Explain how everything that the plant needs to germinate and grow is within each tiny seed.
Step 4
Assist your child to plant a few of the seeds in each of the seedling tray receptacles. Have your child cover the seeds with more potting soil to the depth recommended on the instructions on the seed packet.
Step 5
Help your child water each of the plantings until the soil is damp, but not wet. Avoid overwatering. Explain to your child how water helps the seeds to germinate. Also tell your child that too much or too little water can harm the plant and that the moisture level needs to be just right.
Step 6
Place the seeds in the proper location indoors to allow them to germinate. Watch the seedlings with your child over time. Look for the first seedlings to emerge. Discuss how plants make their own food through photosynthesis.
Step 7
Water the seedlings regularly. Once they reach 3 to 5 inches, help your child transplant them to either larger indoor or outdoor pots or into a flower bed outside in a good location, where they will get proper sunlight and water, depending on the type of plant.
Step 8
Observe the plants as they grow and look for the first flower buds to appear and bloom. Explain to your child how plants use flowers to create more seeds to make even more plants.
Things You'll Need
- Seedling tray
- Potting soil
- Flowering plant seeds
- Water
- Larger flower pots
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