Last week I went to Jack’s 1st grade classroom to talk to the kids about planting veggies. We read the wonderful book, Tops and Bottoms, a fun book that is a great way to show kids how some plants have produce on the tops while others have produce on the bottom. It’s seriously one of the cutest picture books related to gardening that I’ve ever seen.
Then the kids made carrot seed mats. Seed mats are a wonderful way to garden with kids. They can put the seeds on a paper towel and then plant them directly into the soil. Here’s how to do seed mats for your own garden:
Materials needed: Paste (we used a flower and water mixture), seeds and paper towel.
Step 1: If you want to pre-mark the spaces you want to have seeds, go ahead and make small marks with a pencil. Check on the back of the seed packet to see how far apart to space your seeds. This is why seed mats are so great. You don’t have to thin later on!
Step 2: Using a flour/water paste (mix until the consistency of glue), dot little spots onto your paper towel. We put our paste into a plastic bag and then cut one corner to make it easy for dotting.
Step 3: Carefully place one (or two) seed on each paste area. Let dry and then plant directly into the soil or roll up until it’s planting time in your area. Again, follow the instructions on the back of your seed packet so you know how deep to plant.
Follow Me!