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Grow · Wild and Tumble activity

Bean in a jar

Watch a bean wake up. See roots and shoots grow through the side of a jar.

  • 10 min + two weeks
  • Low mess
  • Ages 2–5*
  • Indoors
  • Any season

*Illustrative age guidance. Your child's development and circumstances matter more than a number.

A tiny plan for your day

Estimated time: 3 min to prepare · 5 min to set up · 2 min to tidy. Then check each day. Plus waiting time: two weeks. It's fine to stop early.

Before you start

What you’ll need

  • A clear plastic cup or jar
  • Kitchen roll
  • A dried broad bean or runner bean
  • A little water

Let's begin

Five simple steps

That's the whole activity. Tick each step off as you go, and stop whenever you like.

  1. Scrunch kitchen roll into the cup.

  2. Little one leads

    Your child slides the bean between the kitchen roll and the side of the cup.

  3. Add a little water so the kitchen roll is damp, not soggy.

  4. Pop it on a windowsill.

  5. Check each morning. Root first, or shoot first?

All done!

That's every step. However it went, you made a little moment together.

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