Wednesday, January 26

Forcing Bulbs


One winter activity I always look forward to doing is forcing bulbs. I remember my mother always did this every winter, probably around February or March when spring seems so far away here in the northeast. I tend to buy the bulbs (in this case paperwhites) when I see them in the stores in the fall because whenever I try to find them when I actually need them, they can't be found.



This simple activity was enjoyed by everyone. I didn't have any small rocks or gravel so we used what I could find from around the house. I need to get a forcing vase someday.


There was much interest in the skin of the bulb and the bulb itself. I noticed a lot of examining of the roots and pointed tip. Bulbs are great because the size is so large it can easily be seen and felt by small hands.



These should take 4- 6 weeks. So we get a little lesson in patience too.




We will have to keep an eye on the water level and make sure the roots are in water. Checking on them frequently to make sure they have enough water will also help us observe their growth and changes regularly.

4 comments:

Sippy Cup Central said...

Thanks for posting this, my girls love digging in the garden so this will be a perfect winter activity.
Karen
Sippy Cup Central

Tamsyn Spackman said...

I never thought about using bulbs for a "growing" experiment. My little ones will love it!

Jennifer Howard said...

How did you know exactly what I was looking for? I am so grateful for this tutorial! Thanks.
In PEACE,
Jennifer

Jen said...

I've been looking for paperwhites ever since we read Paperwhite by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.