Mighty Microgreens

Categories: Easy Do-at-Home Activity , Math , Kits , Food Science , Plants

Enjoy sweet or spicy microgreens with students! Students will explore plant needs and grow a tasty treat for them to enjoy!

Part 1: Introduction to Growing Plants
1. Read a book about growing plants such as Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson, you can find more book suggestions under AITC Library Resources to the left.
2. After reading the book, ask students the following questions:
a. What do plants need to grow?
b. What types of plants do we eat?
3. Explain to students that they will be learning about microgreens, a small, edible plant.

Part 2: Mighty Microgreens
1. Distribute a copy of the Sprouting Seeds to Mighty Microgreens booklet to each student.
2. Read through page 1 and 2 with students, providing time for students to color their books.
3. After reading the pages, ask students the following questions:
a. What are microgreens?
b. What are microgreens used for?
c. How do you grow microgreens?
Part 3: Growing Microgreens!
Teacher Preparation: fill a growing flat or tray with water to allow students to moisten the soil with.
1. Explain to students that they will be growing microgreens and will have the opportunity to taste them when they are ready to harvest.
2. Distribute a growing container to each student. The kit provided from AITC will have a small cup with a hole in the bottom to use as the growing container.
3. Instruct the students to fill their growing container nearly full with soil.
4. Using the baking tray or 1020 flat that contains water, have students place their container with soil on the tray to begin to wet the soil. The water will soak the soil moving through the hole on the bottom of the container.
5. Once the soil is wet, students should remove the container from the water. Provide students with the second cup (without a hole) to stack on the bottom of the growing container.
6. Provide students with the number of seeds needed for their container size based on your calculations below. If you’re using the Dwarf Sugar Pea seeds and growing container provided in the kit from AITC, provide each student with 27-36 seeds and skip the Determining Seeding Rate below.

Teacher Preparation: Determining Seeding Rate
1. Calculate the area of the growing container to determine the seeding rate.
For a circular container, use the equation: Area = π x diameter² ÷ 4.
For a square or rectangular container use the equation: Area = width x length.
2. As a general rule, plant 10 -12 seeds per inch for small seeds or 6-8 seeds per inch for larger seeds.
Calculate the total number of seeds per container using the formula:
Number of seeds per container = Seeds/sq. in x Area.
7. Instruct students to evenly distribute the seeds on top of the soil in their container.
8. After all students have planted the seeds, have students turn to page 3 in the booklet. Explain to students that over the next couple of weeks they will be tracking the growth of the microgreens by drawing pictures of them in the boxes provided in the booklet. Instruct them to label the first line with “Day 0”. Day 0 is the day their plant was established. They should draw a picture of what their plant looks like. Have students document their plants growth every 3 days.
9. Instruct students to place the growing containers with their nesting containers in an area with the rest of the class. Cover the containers with the box lid provided in the kit or place in a dark area until germination has occurred. If needed add water to the nesting tray if the soil becomes too dry.
10. After seeds have germinated, place the growing containers in an area where they will be in direct light near a window.
11. As needed, add water to the nesting container to maintain moisture in the soil.
12. The microgreens will take between 7-21 days to grow. Harvest the microgreens using a clean pair of scissors when the true leaf of the microgreens have emerged. Wash the microgreens and enjoy them as a snack in class!