Sprouting Seeds

Sprouting seeds at home is an especially fun educational activity. Of all the activities I did as a child, this is one of the most memorable. There was a whole celebration around sprouting at my house, at the end of which the sprouts were an integral part of our daily salad ingredients. Go on, have a go yourself at sprouting seeds and tell me how you celebrated the process.

How Do You Sprout Seeds?

This is a simple procedure.

• Choose the seeds that you wish to sprout.
• Soak them in water for 24 hours, changing the water twice during the soaking procedure.
• At the end of the soaking procedure, pour out the water and transfer the seeds to a sieve.
• Place the sieve outside until the seeds begin to sprout.
• It is important to rinse and sieve the seeds once a day in order to maintain the humidity.
• As soon as the seeds begin sprouting, place the sieve into the refrigerator.
• You can eat the sprouts as an addition to a salad or use them in cooking, depending on the kind of sprouts.

Which Seeds Can Be Sprouted?

It is possible to sprout almost any seed, but it's not recommended to mix different kinds of seeds in the same sprouting procedure.

Also try these gardening activities for kids

Here are some seeds that I recommend you sprout at home:

• Alfalfa - These sprout better during the summer.
• Broccoli - Especially tasty and a good addition to a salad
• Wheat - These seeds must be soaked in water for 48 hours and are ready as soon as the first sprout appears. Another great addition to a salad.
• Mustard - Tasty and a good addition to a salad
• Lentils - quick to sprout and amazingly tasty

Seed Sprouter

It is possible to buy Seed Sprouter or to improvise with utensils that you have around the house. The store bought Seed Sprouter is the most convenient to use. It has two levels which enables you to sprout two different kinds of seeds simultaneously. It is easy to clean and hardly takes up any space. In some places the seeds are included with the sprouter. If you prefer to use household utensils, any regular sieve will do the job. Just make sure that you sieve the water properly out of the seeds, otherwise the seeds will rot.

And Most Importantly...

Science activities that you can do with your child

Don't be tempted to sprout the seeds alone. Involve your kids in the sprouting procedure. Through this process, they will learn how seeds sprout, how long it takes them to sprout and the flavors of each kind of sprout.

---