What: Make a mini garden in an empty egg carton.

What You’ll Need: An empty recycled egg carton, soil, a handful of seeds (beans, tomato, and herb seeds are a good choices because of how quickly they grow - if you want flowers, try pansies or marigolds), popsicle sticks (optional).

Cut the top off the egg carton. Fill each cavity with soil and push one or two seeds just under the surface. Water gently, insert popsicle sticks into each cavity, and place on a windowsill where the seeds will be in full sunlight. Make sure to water regularly, but don’t drown them! Mark the popsicle sticks every other day (once the plants sprout) so your kids can chart the seed growth. Replant into large pots once they grow a few inches.

What We Say: Egg carton gardens are cheap, fun and teach kids about plants and the environment. This is a project that you can do several times a year with your kids.

Photo courtesy of flickr.