How Do Seeds Grow?

Weekly Trip to the Library for Nannies and Au Pairs

It's Spring and a great time to teach kids about how plants grow. We suggest reading How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan. Then, do a simple project of planting a bean so your charges can watch a seed germinate.

How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan

In this book, children are encouraged to follow each aspect of the botanical process, from sowing bean seeds, to the growth of tiny root hairs, to transplanting the plant in the garden. The book is basically an extended science project explaining how students can watch a seed grow into a plant. Realistic and inviting full-color watercolors show procedures that are possible for youngsters to follow with minimal involvement from adults.

How to Grow a Bean:

Help the child fill a disposable cup approximately halfway full with organic potting soil. Place a single bean approximately half an inch into the center of the soil in the disposable cup. Allow the child to water the plant with half a cup of water. Place the cup in a sunny spot. Have the child water the plant with half a cup of water every five days until the sprout is approximately three-inches tall.