This is a cute gardening activity to do with kids, inspired by the much loved children’s story, Jack and the Bean Stalk. My friend did this with a group of kids, and my children have loved watching the bean stalk grow over the last 3 weeks. We kept the soil moist and left the cups near the kitchen window.
Materials
Plastic cup
Potting mix
Broad beans (grow quickly and suitable for Winter) – other bean varieties could work too.
Kebab stick (or a twig/2 paddle pop sticks taped together for length)
Paper/Cardboard
Optional: cotton wool
Instructions
1. Draw a castle shape (or google a picture), add a few cotton wool buds for clouds and tape or glue to skewer/kebab stick. Set aside.
2. Puncture a few small holes into a plastic cup for drainage.
3. Fill the plastic cup with potting mix, about three quarters the way up the cup.
4. Push a bean (or two) into the soil.
5. Add the castle skewer in and it’s done.
6. Keep soil moist and in a few weeks, the beans will be ready to replant into a garden or pot (they will need a truss or stake to support them as they grow in the garden/large pot). We kept our bean cups in an empty ice cream bucket (to catch any leakage) near the kitchen window and the beans grew really well. It was so fun to watch the beans reaching the castle.
Note: For best results, replant the beans in a larger environment (garden or pot) within 3-4 weeks.
Can you see Jack?
1 Comment
18 garden GROWING ideas for kids | Mother Natured
January 24, 2017 at 5:46 am[…] Jack and the Bean Stalk – This makes growing bean seeds extra fun. What a brilliant idea to bring the story of Jack into this growing activity. […]