Starting Seeds with Young Children

As with many things in Montessori, the simple act of exposure is significant – meaning you don't need to beat yourself up for not putting out the perfect tray, or having all the right materials or even when your seeds don't grow. You have not failed as a gardener, role model or parent. Doing seed starting at home can still be Montessori and doesn't have to break the bank or look like what we do in the classroom. 

My twins are 3, so I will show you what we started at home this week, but many of you who know me know that my favorite age to teach is elementary. I will also give you some thoughts on ways to engage the 6 - 12 age group. Of course we cannot forget about birth to 3 and I will tell you what I did during those years.

During my kid's first and second years of life, it was all about exploring. I would sometimes buy sprigs of herbs at the grocery for them to taste, tear, smell… you name it! Just watch them if they are little and not used to chewing or taking solids yet! By 2 they can do some amount of this project also.

The 3 to 6 year old time period is considered to be the time when the child's desire to classify and order things is at its strongest. I know that in my house currently, my children are happiest when I can answer all of their “Why?” questions. They asked me what type of seed it was, why it needed water to grow, and why we were growing it at all. If you have more than one child give them each their own bag or container. If you actually hope to plant any of these plants, make your own bag or container where you can control the outcome. They might not want to add water, or add too many seeds, or any other number of variables. Make your own so you don't need to be invested in what they do to get a plant! 

You will need:

Pea or bean seeds

Old jars, containers, or bags

Paper towels or old newspaper

Water or someway for them to pour

A sharpie to label (optional) 

Tape for the window (optional)

1. Open the bags or containers and stuff them with a lot of newspaper or paper towel, making sure the bag can still close.

   
   

   

   
   

2. Cut the seed bags open and put them into a bowl.

   
   

   

   
   

3. Sprinkle seeds in the bag. Ideally you want no more than 10 but my children put what seems like 30 seeds in each container and they still grew!

4. Now comes the water. You want the paper to be wet everywhere but you don't want standing water in the seeds. If your child puts too much water in just dump some out when they aren't looking. 

   

   
   

5. It only took a few days for our peas to start sprouting, and just a few more for our beans! From here you will want them to get pretty hardy before moving them to seed plugs or containers.

6. Tune in next week to watch me do that with Ava and Zoe! I will also talk about starting a market garden with your elementary kiddos!