Forcing Bulbs Buy bulbs suitable for forcing--paperwhite narcissus, for instance, grow very quickly, sometimes a few inches a day. Show your child how to plant them in a pot of gravel or small rocks, with about half of the bulb showing. Water just to the bottom of the bulb, and keep them watered at that level. Place the pot in darkness for a few days, until you see roots sprouting into the rocks. Bring the pot out into the light, and watch a plant grow and bloom!

Sprouts In a quart-sized jar, put one tablespoon of seeds that are good for sprouting, like red clover, beans, or wheat berries (found in your grocer's produce department or your food co-op). Fill the jar full with lukewarm water. With a rubber band, secure a piece of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar. Soak the seeds overnight. In the morning, drain the water out through the cloth. Put the jar under the tap and fill with lukewarm water, shake the jar, then drain water again and invert on a dish-drainer or cooling rack. Repeat this rinsing and draining two times a day, keeping seeds moist but not wet, until you have sprouts. Then eat them!

Growing a Garden Don't underestimate the joy and magic of simply planting seeds and growing them in a garden spot or pot outdoors. All of the tasks are new and fascinating to young children: preparing the dirt, digging a straight row, evenly distributing the seeds, covering them with the right amount of dirt and patting them in, watering them each day, and watching them reach toward the sun!

Tiny Pets Collect a little critter with your child and keep it for awhile: worms, caterpillars, tadpoles, ants, etc. Talk about what kind of environment it came from and what it might like to eat. Create a mini-home for the pet similar to the one from which you collected it. Have your child feed and water it. Eventually let the pet go back into the real world, and collect another.

I'm Growing Timeline Hang a long piece of paper on the wall lengthwise. Mark your child's height with a dot on the paper and date it. Measure him every few months or so and mark it the same way, but have him move over a few inches on the paper each time. Connect the dots. Soon you'll have a timeline and graph representing his growth!