Grow Your Own Name

Materials

• Wheat berry seeds (available at natural food stores)
• Bowl of water
• Shallow, rimmed tray or baking pan

• Potting soil, moistened
• Letter cookie cutters (optional)

Instructions

1. Soak the wheat berry seeds in the bowl of water overnight.
   
2. Fill the tray with about an inch of moist potting soil. Help your child arrange the seeds in the shape of her name, then have her gently press them into the soil with her fingertip (we set alphabet cookie cutters on the soil to use as a guide, then removed them after the seeds were pressed in place).
   
3. Mist the soil around the seeds to keep them moist, but don't pour water directly on them until the roots are established. Place the tray in a sunny window, and the seeds should sprout within a few days.
   

Tips:

Fiskar's Pre-School Spring Action Scissors are great for beginners because the springs open the scissors after every cut. Fiskars, $3.50 Ages 3 and up.

Variations:

Grass Letters Instead of growing your child's name in a tray, you can use cookie cutters to create a letter-shaped topiary with visible roots. Set the cookie cutters in a tray, fill them almost to the top with potting soil, then cover the surface with wheat berry seeds that have been soaked in water overnight. Gently push the seeds into the soil. Pour a thin puddle of water into the tray to keep the soil moist, and set the tray in a sunny window. Once the seeds have sprouted and the roots are established, pick up the cookie cutters and gently pop out the letters.