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Waking buds

Can you wake spring up early? Pop a budding twig in water and watch it open indoors.

  • 10 min + two weeks
  • Low mess
  • Ages 2–5*
  • Indoors
  • Late winter
Let's do this

*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 choose · 5 min to set up · 2 min to tidy. Then check daily. Plus waiting time: two weeks. It's fine to stop early.

Before you start

What you’ll need

  • A twig with fat buds, from a garden shrub you're allowed to snip, like forsythia or flowering currant
  • A jar of 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. Look closely at the buds. What's hiding inside?

  2. Grown-up job

    An adult snips a twig and pops it in water.

  3. Put the jar somewhere bright and warm.

  4. Check each morning. Are the buds getting fatter?

  5. Watch leaves or flowers open over a week or two.

All done!

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

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