This Garden Shed children’s activity is a fun way to recycle food scraps and “grow food from food.” This can be done any time of year, but it’s especially well-suited to cold winter months when there is less happening in the outdoor garden. Children grow food indoors using pieces of common vegetables, observe over time, and document the changes. This easy activity teaches children about growth cycles and promotes recycling (with a twist)! It is adaptable to a wide range of ages (see tips below).
Activity: Cultivate and observe new plant growth that emerges from food scraps.
Objective: Children learn about growth cycles and “recycle” food in an unusual way. Observation can include measurements, written notes, drawings, and/or photographs.
Materials Needed:
- Cutting board
- Knife (for adult use/supervision only)
- Vegetable(s) to cut and grow; we used leek, celery, and romaine lettuce in our experiment
- Small bowl(s) or container(s) to hold the cut pieces
- Water to pour into bowl(s); we used tap water from our well
- Sunny, warm location (such as south-facing window)
Process:
-Choose vegetable(s) you’d like to grow. There are many options; we selected those with a sturdy stem and base— leeks, celery, and romaine lettuce. The resources below provide other great ideas.
–Help the child cut a small piece of the vegetable, about 2-3 inches in length from the base of the plant.
-Place the vegetable cutting in a small bowl. Fill bowl about halfway with water.
-Place the bowl in a warm, sunny location, such as a south-facing window.
-Change the water every two days.
Daily observation:
- Check to be sure the plant has enough water. Remember to change water every two days.
- Talk with the child about changes you see, such as stem, leaf, or root emergence; plant growth (height/width); plant color, etc.
- Depending on the child’s age, keep an observation log to note daily or weekly changes. Record observations with measurements, notes, drawings, and/or photographs.
Tips:
- Food scraps can be grown in water or soil. We experimented using water and had success.
- Plants can be transplanted to soil (in pots or in ground) depending on time of year. We learned that transplanting to soil might be best at about 2-3 weeks, especially for the romaine which wilted at 3-4 weeks.
Root growth on the leek and celery at 28 days. Photo: Meg Norling.
- This activity can be tailored to a wide range of ages:
- Younger children will enjoy the surprise of seeing “food grow from food.” Together, you can observe and discuss the growth you see. Help younger children measure and record observations.
- Older children can learn more about vegetative growth (from leaves, stems, roots) vs. reproductive growth (from flowers, fruit, seeds). They can create their own observation logs using measurements, notes, drawings, and/or photographs.
- This activity can be expanded to include experiments that compare different methods of growth (such as water vs. soil or soil with and without compost).
This “growing food from food scraps” activity helps children appreciate different ways that plants can start growing. It also helps children understand the importance of recycling. This project encourages observation, measurement, and documentation of plant growth. In addition, it was a lot of fun (for adults too)!
Resources:
https://stonepierpress.org/gardeningnews/growing-vegetable-scraps
https://edibleschoolyard.org/resource/growing-food-scraps
https://foodrevolution.org/blog/reduce-food-waste-regrow-from-scraps/
https://gardens.si.edu/learn/educational-resources/garbage-to-gardens/dont-pitch-it-plant-it/
https://carnegiesciencecenter.org/educators/early-learners/ (See How to Grow Food from Scraps activity)
This is so interesting and I hadn’t read about it before. I sent the article to our neighbors who home school. Thanks for sharing your photo of young and future gardeners!