CONSUMER SERVICES

Growing Activities for Tomorrow's Consumers

Students will enjoy these hands-on projects that explore that responsibilities of growing and caring for plants. Now, everyone can try a hand at tilling the soil and reaping the benefits.

Supplies Needed:

• Containers (wastebaskets, milk and juice cartons, baskets, fishbowls, plastic or clay flower pots work well)
• Potting soil
• Fertilizer
• Seeds or small plants (cherry tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, radishes, carrots, beets, herbs, cucumbers, and if the container is large enough you could grow pumpkins)
• Water

How To:

• Follow the seed package directions. If you have small plants, ask the person at the store how to plant them.

Daily duties:

• Water your container garden often, usually every day. In very hot weather, you may need to water twice a day, in the morning and just before dark.
• Feed your plants after they begin growing. Every two weeks give your plants some commercial plant food or fertilizer with their water.

Supplies Needed:

• Shallow bowl (2-3" deep)
• Pebbles or glass marbles
• Three or four carrots
• Water

How To:

• Remove any greens from the tops if necessary.
• Cut carrots about 2" from the crown.
• Fill the bowl with pebbles to 1½" deep, and push carrot tops firmly into the pebbles.
• Fill the bowl almost to the rim with lukewarm water & set near a sunny window.

Expectations & Duties:

• Sprouting takes only a few (3-6) days.
• Add water every other day or as needed.
• Discard carrots when tops begin to wilt and outgrow the container.

Supplies Needed:

• A sweet potato that shows signs of sprouting or eye spots
• Several wooden toothpicks
• A glass jar
• Water
• Flower pot & potting mix for transplanting

How To:

• Insert toothpicks around the middle of the sweet potato.
• Balance the potato, pointy (root) end down, over the mouth of the jar using the toothpicks to hold it on the rim of the jar.
• Fill the jar with lukewarm water and place near a sunny window.

Expectations & Duties:

• The roots will appear first, and sprouting takes about 7-14 days.
• Once growth has reached 6-8" high, transplant into a larger container.
• Fill a third of the pot with potting mix and place the potato on top of the mix. Pack added mix around the tuber.
• Cover the potato with potting mix, if possible, to prevent rotting.
• Water as needed to keep the soil mix moist.

Supplies Needed:

• 2 plates
• Paper towels
• Packages of cress seeds
• Water

How To Start:

• Layer a paper towel on a plate and wet with water.
• Sprinkle seeds on the wet towel; cover with a plate.
• Check every day to ensure the paper is moist.
• When cress reaches ½" high (3 days), uncover and place in a sunny window.
• Continue to keep the paper moist.

Harvesting:

• Once cress grows to 3 or 4 inches, trim with scissors.
• Sprinkle cress on a sandwich or in a salad.

Make Garden-Cress Eggs:

• Hard boil eggs for 10 minutes.
• Rinse with cold water, peel and cut in half, lengthwise.
• Scoop out the yolks and place in a bowl, add mayonnaise and mix well.
• Season with salt, pepper and cress.
• Fill the egg whites with the mixture and serve.

Supplies Needed:

• Paper cups
• Drawing materials (crayons, colored pencils, markers)
• Felt, pipettes, ribbon, foam (optional)
• Potting soil
• Grass seed
• Water

Directions:

• Decorate each cup with a face or drawing. (Glue on eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, cheeks, ears, everything except hair)
• Fill each cup ¾ full of potting soil and sprinkle grass seeds over the top.
• Water well and place in a sunny location.

Expectations & Duties:

• Seeds should sprout in a few days and grass should start growing in about 10 days.
• The growing grass creates hair for each paper cup person.
• Grass hair can be trimmed as desired and will grow back just like a lawn.

Supplies Needed:

• Variety of bulbs (Paperwhite narcissus, tulips, daffodils or hyacinths, preferably pre-chilled suitable for forcing)
• Shallow dish or bowl
• Pebbles, gravel or sand
• Water

Directions:

• If your bulbs are not pre-chilled, you will need to store them in a paper bag in the refrigerator before planting.
• Put half the pebbles/sand in your dish or bowl, creating a layer 2-3" deep.
• Place the bulbs, root down, pointy end up, and close together in the dish.
• Add enough pebbles/sand to cover the bottom half of the bulbs (the pointy ends should show above the sand or gravel.)
• Add water and place near a cool, sunny environment.

Expectations & Duties:

• Add water occasionally to keep the roots wet.
• In 4-6 weeks you should have great smelling flowers!

Supplies Needed:

• Bean Seeds
• Water
• Magnifying Glass

Directions:

• Take a bunch of bean seeds and soak them in water for a day or two. Then let the kids take them apart to see what the inside of a seed looks like. They can use magnifying glasses to examine them up close.

Supplies Needed:

• Cardboard Milk Carton
• Seeds (Pumpkin work well)
• Plastic Wrap
• Soil
• Water

Directions:

• Begin by taking a cardboard milk carton and cutting out a flap on one side, cut three sides so it can be opened like a door. Tape a piece of plastic wrap over the window on the inside. Fill the carton with soil and plant a couple of seeds (pumpkin works well). Place the side opposite the window up on a block so the carton is at an angle. When the plant begins to grow, the roots will grow towards the window, allowing you to open the window and see the roots. Be sure to keep the window closed when not viewing.

Supplies Needed:

• Pine cone for each child (keep inside over night so they will be dry and wide open)
• Grass seed in measuring cup or cup with pouring spout
• Small jar in which pine cone can sit, but not go all the way into water in bowl

Directions:

• Each child should wet his pinecone in the bowl of water. Fill a jar with water and set the pine cone in the top of the jar. About 1/4 of the pinecone needs to fit snugly in the jar and reach the water. Sprinkle the pinecone generously with grass seed. Place the jars in a windowsill. Help the children add water to their jars when needed. Be careful not to wash the seeds away. Grass will sprout in a few days.

Supplies Needed:

• White paper towels
• Clear plastic cups
• Plastic wrap
• Seeds
• Water
• Tape

Directions:

• Stuff crumpled white paper towels into a clear plastic cup. Add water to dampen but do not soak the towels. Place several seeds between the side of the cup and the crumpled paper towels so that the seeds are visible from the outside. Cover the cup with plastic wrap, and tape a second cup on top of the first.

Supplies Needed:

• Paper towel
• Zip lock baggies
• Seeds
• Water

Directions:

• Place a paper towel in a zip lock baggie. Place seeds in the bag and dampen the towel with water. Zip the bag closed and place in a sunny location.

Supplies Needed:

• Clear 2-liter soda bottles, labels removed
• Exacto knife (adults only)
• Potting soil Seeds (beans, flowers, grass, vegetables)
• Water
• Tape

Directions:

Have an adult cut each bottle in half with an Exacto knife. Make slits 2 or 3" tall going long ways around the cut sections. This will enable the top section to fit snugly over the bottom section. 

• Have the children fill the bottom sections with dirt and water well.
• Plant the seeds.
• Put the top section back on so it fits snugly.
• Put them in a sunny location.
• Water once or twice a week.

Be careful not to over water. It gets really warm inside of the pop bottle and the seeds grow well.