Preschooler Play: Growing Peas

Miss 3 has her own garden bed, in which she has planted carrots and peas. The carrots she planted from seedlings, but she is growing the peas from seeds. For a child, growing from seeds can be a bit boring, since they can't see what is happening until the shoots break out above the soil. So on the same day that we planted the peas in the garden, we did a simple activity so that Miss 3 could watch her peas growing. You can do the same with any large seeds.

First, she put peas on a sheet of adhesive.

Then she folded two sheets of absorbent paper in half and lay them over the peas. Next, she squirted water onto the paper, so that it was wet, but not sodden.

Then we stuck the whole thing to the window. I put some painter's tape around the outside to keep it water tight (no need to top up the water). And we watched them grow. Look at the fascination in that little face! And she can touch them as they grow.

Miss 3 planted two different kinds of peas, onward and bantum (the bantum peas grew better). It took only three days for the first roots to form and we grew the peas for three weeks before we moved them to the garden.

And surprisingly, the peas in the garden poke through at about the same rate as the shoots formed on the peas inside. We are having a very warm May.

Read up on more children's activities.