A jar, a square of cheesecloth and a spoonful of lentils. A week-long growing project with something visibly new to see every single morning — and a sandwich at the end.
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I wanted a growing project that did not require a garden, a warm season, or my patience lasting six weeks. Sprouts were the answer, and they changed our mornings.
My kids run to the windowsill before breakfast to check the jar. In a single night the seeds visibly change, and by day four there is a green tangle pressing against the glass.
The best part is that they eat them. A child who negotiates over every vegetable will happily eat something they grew from a spoonful of seeds.
Let your child spoon the seeds into the jar and cover them with plenty of cool water. Stretch the cloth over the top and hold it with the rubber band.
Leave to soak overnight, somewhere they will see it — the seeds swell dramatically and that alone is a good first day.
In the morning, tip the water out straight through the cloth. This is your child's job from now on: rinse with fresh water, swirl, and pour out again.
Rest the jar at a tilt in a bowl so the last drops drain. Sprouts rot in standing water and thrive in damp air.
Repeat the rinse morning and evening. Day two shows tiny white tails, day three has real sprouts, and by day five the jar is full.
Draw the jar on the growth chart each day, or measure the longest sprout against a finger. Children love the record almost as much as the plant.
On harvest day, rinse well and eat: in a sandwich with cream cheese, sprinkled on soup, or straight from the jar.
Start the next jar the same day so there is never a morning without something to check.
Lentils and mung beans are the most forgiving and sprout fastest — start there. If the jar ever smells sour, tip it out and begin again; it means water was sitting at the bottom. Keep it out of direct hot sun, bright indirect light is perfect.