Kids love learning about how things grow and these adorable Little Sprout Houses take the science fun factor up a notch. With just a few minutes of prep, you’ll be ready for WEEKS of mesmerizing excitement!
Grab these sprout houses (plus 30 more easy-to-follow science experiments kids will beg to repeat!) in our shop!
Getting Ready
To prep, I picked up a pack of fast-sprouting seeds at the store. A few of my favorite varieties include lima beans, cowpeas, snap peas, sunflower seeds, marigolds, radishes, alfalfa sprouts and mung bean.
My kids filled a cup with water and dropped in the seeds to soak them overnight. This extra step is an old farmer’s trick for speeding up the germination process.
The next morning, the kids grabbed six cotton balls each, dipped them in water and squeezed out the extra so that it was wet but not dripping. They slid them into a Ziploc and dropped in a couple of the seeds.
I printed the Little Sprout Houses on cardstock
Then, we flipped the houses upside down and taped the bag to the back.
Watching the Little Sprout Houses
We grabbed a couple pieces of tape and hung the Little Sprout Houses on the window.
The kids checked in on their houses several times a day and, after almost a week, they were THRILLED to discover a teeny tiny sprout emerge from one of the seeds.
That was all it took! Soon after that, the seeds sprouted quickly and we soon moved them into our garden!
The Science Behind It
A seed needs water and warmth to grow. The Ziploc bag creates a mini green house that makes warm, moist air from the sunlight shining through the window and the water contained in the cotton balls. The happy seed quickly sprouts.
Snag Your Little Sprout Houses
Grab these sprout houses (plus 30 more easy-to-follow science experiments kids will beg to repeat!) in our shop!
What an awesome idea. My preschool aged daughter will love this. We’ve grown sprouts before but the idea of hanging it against the window is genius. Thanks so much for sharing!
I did this with my son and his friends and they loved it. We are now watching our sprouts grow. My question is when do you plant them and do you put the whole starter plant in the soil? Any advice regarding planting is greatly appreciated.
Yes I wanted to know the same thing
Hi Jackie and Kayla,
Thanks for reaching out, great question!
Once the sprout house is together, the seed should sprout in a few days to a week.
When the seed has a nice sprout on it, take it from the sprout house and plant it. This will give the plant the best chance at developing roots for continued growth.
I hope this helps!
Warmly,
Kimberleigh
I made this with my preschool class. Super easy. It took 1week for seeds to sprout. Huge success. The kids were very excited.
Horray Catherine! I am so glad that your preschool class loves it as much as we do!
Warmly,
Kimberleigh
Will we need to water the seeds while still in the bags? Or will the cotton balls be enough?
Hi Vanessa,
Thanks for reaching out.
The water in the cotton balls should be enough, but if you notice the cotton balls looking really dry, I’d suggest using a spray bottle to add some moisture to the bag.
Hope you enjoy!
Warmly,
Ashley // Happiness Ambassador
yes
Amazing I love it
I am so glad that you are a fan of the little sprout house, Abdul!