I read somewhere here last week about someones son who had already had several pea teepees and sunflower houses and done the marigold in a cup thing several times. I noted it with interest because my situation is similur. My daughter has been gardining with both me and my ex all her life. We both live in the city so teepees and sunflower houses are impossible. I was hoping for some new ideas and found them else where so I want to share them. I couldn't find the other thread again so I will post this as a new one.

Last weekend my daughter and I made a thumb kino (sorry I don't know the English name of it). Instead of drawing the pictures on the corner of school books like I did as a kid we drew them on little bits of paper and then stapled the whole thing together when we were finished. What makes it applicable here is that she wanted to draw a seed sprouting and growing into a plant. We spent an entire afternoon on this and had a lot of fun. I thnk a lot of the fun came from trying to do it as accurately as possible which involved a lot of discussion as to just how a seedling developes. We consulted the chili seedlings I have stated under lights many times.

The second idea is from my boss who has no kids and doesn't grow anything but mold. She is however a biologist. We were discussing how interesting my daughter finds the different ways plants distribute their seeds and she suggested that I grow a peanut plant with her.

When a kid knows how plants are "suppose to act" then they will find this plant really cool. Plant a peanut in the shell (one from the market is fine if it is not roasted) and it will sprout and grow into a small plant. After about 3 months the plant makes buds and then the fun starts. The buds bend down and grow back into the ground where they make new peanuts.

I haven't tried growing peanuts (yet) but they are suppose to be really easy to grow in a pot on the window sill.

One last little idea. Instead of planting a marigold in a paper cup, put the seed in a glass jar full of earth, next to the glass. Then put the glass into a paper cup or something to shield the roots from the light. This way you can take the glass out and watch the seed sprout and the roots develop.

Have fun,

Armadillo