How to Grow Seeds Indoors Without Soil

This is a great activity to do with young students if you want to get quick results with little mess. Use it at a science experiment, camp activity or even a Vacation Bible School craft. Kids love seeing that it really is possible for a bean plant to grow without a single drop of soil. The supplies don't cost much and the containers are easy to transport home.

Things You'll Need

• Napkins (2 per student)
• Small plastic containers (1 per student)
• Bag of hard-shelled beans from the grocery store
• Water
• Sunny windowsill

Instructions

1. Wet 2 napkins in the sink. Wring out excess water, and then unroll the napkins to their original size.

2. Fold each damp napkin into a small plastic cup a little larger than a ketchup container from a fast-food restaurant. You want the cup to be full of napkin, so have the kids fluff the napkins to fill up the space, but don't let them pack the napkins in. The seeds need space to grow.

3. Slide 5 beans down the insides of the container so they are suspended between the napkin and the side of the container.

4. Place the containers on a windowsill. They need several hours of sun each day, so pick a sunny location.

5. Sprinkle the containers with water once a day. Keep the napkins moist, but not soaking wet.

6. Watch the beans grow quickly. It only takes a day or two to see results. The sprouts will burst through the bean's shell and begin growing upward towards the sun.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a permanent marker to label each container with each child's name.

• Plastic containers can be substituted with plastic baggies.

• Bean sprouts should not be touched to prevent damaging the fragile roots.