Indoor Gardening with Mung Bean Sprouts: Activities for Kids

K1st2nd3rd4th5thActivitiesScienceLife SkillsPrintable PDFScience KScience 1stScience 2ndScience 3rdScience 4thScience 5thLife Skills KLife Skills 1stLife Skills 2ndLife Skills 3rdLife Skills 4thLife Skills 5thPrintable PDF KPrintable PDF 1stPrintable PDF 2ndPrintable PDF 3rdPrintable PDF 4thPrintable PDF 5th
Written By SPONGYKIDS

Hands-on Science Activities

Discover the Joy of Growing Bean Sprouts Indoors with Kids

Main Idea

We sometimes buy mung bean sprouts at the supermarket, but we have never known how they grow. Out of curiosity, we decided to grow mung bean sprouts at home for the first time.

Activity Prep

(What we used)

  • Mung Bean Sprouting Seeds (I purchased mine from Amazon)

  • Two plastic containers:

    • One with holes for the seed tray (I used a tofu package, but clamshell packages could also work.)

    • One for the saucer to catch excess water (this container should have no holes).

      **Make sure to wash and sanitize them before use!

  • Small screwdriver

  • Select-A-Size paper towels

  • Towel

My Mung Bean Sprouts Journal

You can download and print a PDF below for daily sketching and taking notes.

How We Grow them

These are mung bean sprouting seeds

Step 1.Soaking the Beans

We started by scooping about 1.5 tablespoons of mung beans. We washed them and soaked them in water for 24 hours. Some tutorial videos we watched mentioned that 12 hours might be sufficient.

Step 2. Making a Container

We made holes in the seed tray. Be careful! Let an adult do this part! I suggest making the holes from the inside of the container for better water drainage. We made 9 holes in total. **Make sure to wash and sanitize them before use!

Step 3. Preparing the Containers

We used a plastic food storage container (right) as a saucer to catch extra water. We placed the saucer under the seed tray and put a paper towel in the seed tray. Use only half the size of the paper towel.

Step 4. After 24 Hours

Wow! After soaking for 24 hours, the seeds are much larger! We put the seeds back in the tray and poured some water to soak the paper towel. After dumping the extra water, we put the saucer back underneath. Some seeds are already starting to sprout!

Step 5. Covering the Seeds

To keep the seeds dark for better growth, we covered them with a cloth napkin. Goodnight, mung beans!

Plant journal for the activity

You can download and print a PDF below for daily sketching and taking notes.

Step 6. Watering

Water the seeds at least twice a day! Water them, let them soak for a few minutes, and then dump any extra water.

Step 7. After 3 Days

Look at all the progress after just three days. It’s amazing! They’re a bit creepy but also cute. My son was so shocked he screamed!

Step 8. After 5 Days

The sprouts are getting really long after just five days! Is it almost time to harvest? We’re so excited to eat them!

**Important Note:** Since these are homemade mung bean sprouts, wash them well to avoid foodborne illnesses like E. coli and salmonella. Make sure to cook them fully before eating. Do not eat them raw.

It was an interesting experiment for us to learn how our food is grown. We also realized how much work people on a farm need to do. This was a valuable lesson to appreciate the food we eat and the people who grow it, as well as those who pack and deliver it safely.

SPONGYKIDS
Previous

Fun Math Activities for Kids: Counting Numbers with LEGO Bricks
Next

Create Your Favorite Book Characters with LEGO Bricks