What you’ll need
- old pair of cotton socks
- plastic bags
- water
- tape
What to do
Instead of putting seeds into the bag, running around in socks is how they’ll collect the seeds – directly from nature. Depending on your location and where you want to do your “collecting,” you can decide whether to let the kids just wear socks or whether you want to put the socks over their shoes. If you’re just running around your yard or neighborhood, I suggest the former. If you want to take a long hike, I’d suggest the latter. Both are pretty fun for kids!
Start by having the kids put on a pair of old socks (on their feet or over shoes). Next, since you want the seeds to stick, get the socks wet. Have the kids step in a bucket of water or just spray their feet with the hose. Once their socks are wet, set the kids loose!
Encourage them to explore wooded areas, under trees and bushes and other low traffic areas. Make sure they squish their feet into the ground to pick up as many seeds as possible. Step on dandelions, shuffle through fallen leaves, walk gently through the garden. Finally, have them find a muddy area to squish their feet in! This will pick up a bit of dirt to help the seeds grow.
When the socks are nice and filthy, take them off and place each one in a plastic bag. Tape the plastic bag to a window that gets a good amount of daily sunlight. If the socks feel dry, add a small amount of water. Now all you have to do is wait!
When they’ll sprout
Within a few days, you should notice some sprouting. By two weeks, your socks should have some serious blooms.
If at first you don’t succeed, try it again.
Grow your socks
Growing your socks is such a fun and easy science project for kids. It teaches them all about germination and what plants need to grow. You can experiment by growing socks from various locations to see the differences in the types of plants you get. If you want to go a step further, try identifying the sprouts you’re growing and figure out what each plant will look like when fully grown.