At Home Activity: Window Garden

A clear plastic bag filled with two bean plants nestled in cotton balls hangs on a window screen.

Does your little one have a tiny green thumb? 

Today’s at home activity is the perfect way to find out. 

You may not know this (many of us certainly didn’t), but remember those dried beans hiding in your cabinet or pantry? You can actually plant one of those beans and watch it sprout into a plant! 

This at home activity shows you and your little ones how to take a few dried beans (great northern, pinto, kidney, etc.) and plant a DIY nursery right in your window. It’s a simple and easy introduction into gardening and plant care. In addition to watching the beans sprout and grow, your kids will begin to learn what plants need to thrive, and how they can take care of them.  

Window gardens let children explore and sharpen their senses, curiosity, cause and effect, and responsibility. We’ve even included an Ownership Agreement that outlines the steps needed to care for your new bean plant, and lets your littles know what they’re signing up for.  

So grab some beans and start planting! 

Window Garden 

Goals:

  • Observe the stages of growth from a seed to a young plant

  • Experience what plants need and how to care for them 

Children will:

  • Create a seed nursery in a window

  • Transfer seeds to soil when roots are established

  • Continue to care for the plant once it is in soil 

What you'll need:

  • Two or three dried beans of any kind: kidney, pinto, great northern, etc.

  • Clear snack or sandwich bags

  • Tape

  • Cotton balls or a paper towel

  • Water

  • A way to sprinkle water—eye dropper, pipettes, empty condiment squeeze bottles to sprinkle water, or a steady hand

  • Small containers of soil or garden space outside. 

How to: 

  • Place two or three cotton balls (or small ball scrunched paper towel) in the bottom of a snack bag. Place one seed on each cotton ball. Try to space the balls out so they have room to grow. 

  • Wet each cotton ball thoroughly, but don’t soak them so much they leak. Tape the bag to a window that gets sunlight. Make sure you leave the top open for air flow.  

  • Once or twice each day, check the cotton balls for moisture, and add only enough water to saturate them. This is where having an eye dropper or squeeze bottle can be handy. 

A close up shot of two fingers holding a tiny green sprout bursting from a pinto bean.
  • Look for any changes to each seed. How many days before you see something new? Continue to watch for growth, along with different shapes and colors. What parts are the roots? What part will become the stem? 

  • After six or seven days, you will start to see leaves. It’s time to move your plants to soil. It’s okay to plant your plants with the cotton or paper towel balls still attached. Don’t try to pull them apart if they are entwined with each other.  

  • Take good care of your new little plants. There are seven things they will need. Can you name them? The Ownership Agreement can help you remember what these seven things are.