flower bulbs
this activity isn’t so much about making art and more about appreciating the cycles of nature… it just takes about 50 cents to do it. this time of year, nurseries are bursting with buckets of bulbs for all kinds of flowers. one of our favorites (all winter long) are paperwhites (narcissus) because they are such fragrant flowers.
i brought a paperwhite bulb home for N so that she could watch it grow and learn about flower bulbs. watching a bulb produce a flowering plant is a good lesson in patience for a young child, yet they grow relatively quickly so it’s not such a drag.
we happen to have a vase especially for bulbs, which has a little cup shape at the top to hold the bulb with a small neck so the bulb doesn’t fall in, but if you don’t have this, just push toothpicks into four sides of the bulb and balance it on top of any glass cup or jar that you have. i recommend a clear one, so that your child can see the roots as they begin to shoot down.
it was fun for us to keep our bulb in the plant window in our kitchen. we made a ritual of checking on it each time we washed N’s hands in the kitchen sink. she looked forward to this time.
it only took about ten days for the bulb to shoot its roots down and stems upward, and bloom into lovely little white flowers. now our whole kitchen smells amazing from these tiny blooms!
next we are going to watch an avocado seed sprout… then maybe garlic… and sooner than later, perhaps another trip to the nursery for some spring tulips for our outdoor garden.
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