Page 107 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2023

MATERIALS:
Egg shell carton
Soil
Seeds (use a couple of different types of seeds to compare, marigolds and sunflowers) Water
Spoon or small scoop
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Fill each egg space up with 1⁄2 soil. Put in one seed and cover with soil filling up the rest of the egg space.
2. Use a spray bottle or spoon to dampen each egg space.
3. Put carton near sun and after 3 days, examine the seeds.
4. You can use a magnifying glass to look at seeds and note shoots, root changes, and seed changes.
Optional: an older child might want to keep a gardening journal and write down the changes as well as drawing pictures. Sunflowers grow fastest, so keep an eye out for their changes!
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
Grow Happy by Jon Lasser
In the Garden by Emma Giuliani
Johnny Appleseed
-My Little Golden Book by Lori Haskins Houran
I remember as a child, my father would let me plant mari- golds around his vegetable garden. It was a great source of joy to see them come up in all different colors. Marigolds are said to keep the bugs away. Planting and growing marigolds actually started my interest in gardening, plus, it was some- thing my dad and I enjoyed doing together!
Don’t forget to do nature activities with your kids, too. One of my favorite nature activities with my own children was to put peanut butter on pinecones and then roll them in bird seed and hang them out for the birds.
There are so many activities to do with your children to teach them about nature and make them future conserva- tionists. Children love for you to take the time with them and teach them. What better way than gardening? Happy spring days with your kids in the garden!
Gaye Winter, Ph.D., teaches English at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and is a member of Biloxi Garden Club. Reach her at gaye.winter@mgccc.edu.
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