Maker Monday: Let’s try ‘garbage gardening’

Photo above by Natalia Fogarty on Unsplash

It’s maker time, Kidsburgh families. We’re back with another fun and easy “Let’s Try” Maker Monday activity, created by our friends at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

This week’s activity is even more surprising than its wonderfully silly name. During this activity, kids will learn to regrow scraps of vegetables. It’s a great science learning project and a lot of fun for kids. And when the vegetables re-sprout, your family can eat the greens that pop up!

A note to kid makers that we include with all our activities: Please work with a parent or caregiver on every project and always be very careful when using tools of any kind.

Maker Monday materials you’ll need:

• small plastic containers (or the cut-off bottoms of plastic bottles, turning them into clear plastic cups)
• water
• vegetable scraps, like carrots, onions, leeks, scallions or beets (including the part where the roots meet the stem or the leaves — see video)
• a cutting board and knife (you’ll need adult help for this part!)
• pebbles or marbles (optional)

Instructions:

• Put marbles or pebbles in the bottom of your plastic container(s), if you’re using pebbles or marbles. (You can also skip this first step if you don’t have any pebbles or marbles available.)
• With help from an adult, cut off the section of your vegetable that includes the roots and the stem, leaving about an inch or so of vegetable beyond the root. If you’d like, you can do this with several different vegetables, putting them in different plastic containers.
• Pour water over the vegetable scrap until part of it is underwater.
• Then put it in a sunny window. Now it’s time to be patient…
• Over the coming days and weeks, you’ll see green leaves growing out of your vegetable scrap. And you’ll see that the roots grow longer, too.
• Enjoy your “garbage garden” and maybe even make a salad from all the healthy leaves and new vegetables you’ve grown!

Want more at-home fun making beautiful things? Check out more Maker Monday projects right here.

Do you have an idea for a Maker Monday craft project? If so, please share it with Kidsburgh! Send your maker activities to info@kidsburgh.org.