Kid Gardening project on a budget!

I recall when my boys were little, and money was very tight.  I would love to do things with them, but money was always an issue. 

One day I decided to teach them about gardens and plants, so I got some cheap plant food and showed them how to mix it up.  This mixing the plant food became a lesson in measurements but not reading they were just in kindergarden. 

Once we mixed the plant food I got the medicine droppers that I had been saving, and told the boys to

1. put a small piece of of napkin in a pint size ziploc bag.

2. then add some drops of plant food mix onto the piece of napkin, and some drops of water until the napkin was very wet, and some extra water was in the bag.

3. then I told them to pick 3 beans from the bag of pinto beans, because we were going to put them in the bag on the napkin and watch them grow.

4. I taped the bag open in the window in there room so that they could see it every day, and let me know when the bean started to grow.

They came running to me one day all excited to see the bean start to grow roots, this made a lesson in what was going on with the bean. 

The next time of excitement was when the bean actually started growing some green leaves, and this made a lesson in photosinthises. 

Once the plant grew out of the bag, we planted the beans in a pot, which was full of fun because we were digging in the dirt out in the backyard, and filling some old pots.  Remember I told you money was short. 

The boys were very proud to see their plant grow big and healthy, and watch in reality where beans come from.