Customer Reviews

Once There Was a Seed (Nature's Miracles)

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Our 4 yr old loves this book. She asks us to read it over and over. The Illustrations are simple and delightful and accompanied by a brief description of what the seed is doing. This is a great introduction into the life cycle of a seed. It gives just enough information to your younger child to stay interested. I think it is great for ages 3 - 6. But it may also be a great book for beginning readers as well to read to themselves. It might be too simplistic for older children. Our two year old enjoys the photos and the story but does not understand the concepts. It would be great to read this book as you germinate a black eyed pea or kidney bean. We are going to do this shortly. we will probably use a ziplock and paper towel.

Here are some instructions and ideas from a useful website for kids we found: universalpreschool.com

Carrot Tops -- Slice off the top 1" or so of a carrot and put it in a shallow dish with water almost up to the top of it. Put it in a place that will get natural light and keep the dish filled with water. Eventually, the carrot will sprout green leaves and roots!

Kidney Beans -- This is a standard "science project" in classrooms, but it's lots of fun to do at home. Soak a handful of dried kidney beans in water overnight.

Then take a see-through plastic glass or jar and put a damp paper towel in it. Tuck some of the pre-soaked kidney beans (evenly around the container) between the paper towel and the container so that you can see it. Put it on a windowsill where it will get plenty of natural light, sprinkle the paper towels with water each day so they stay damp, and the beans will soon sprout.

The children will be able to see the roots and shoots! Once the bean growth is about 2" or so -- transplant them into soil -- they'll continue growing.

It is a great way to have fun with your children while teaching science and reading. These are great rainy day projects. The book is short. The projects just take a little time each day so it does not feel like a chore.