If you are looking for a first ‘grow your own’ project for kids, try your hand at these crackin’ cress heads – they require very little effort and you can see results in just a few days.

Don’t miss the chance to have your say! We’re looking for parents to get involved and give their feedback on all aspects of family life. Find out more here.

Cress is an absolute cinch to grow – you don’t even need soil or potting compost, since cress will grow in kitchen paper or cotton wool. And you don’t need a pot or container because you can just use an empty egg shell!

You May Also Enjoy 12 Playful Planting Projects for Kids to Try at Home

How to Grow Cress Heads

Cress seeds germinate (appear) within a day or so, and you will be able to pick some to try (or for your egg and cress sarnies) within a week to ten days.

Your kids will really enjoy creating these egg cress heads, especially when they get to decorate the shell to give their cress head a face to go with the funky green hair on its head.

What you will need:

• A packet of cress seeds
• Eggs
• Cotton wool
• Markers and googly eyes

Getting Started

First comes the yummy bit – cook and eat the eggs!

Once you have eaten your egg and the shell has cooled down, fill half of the bottom of the shell with cotton wool. Now dampen the cotton wool with a little tap water, taking care not to swamp it.

Sprinkle a few cress seeds on top of the cotton wool (about 10-20). You can either stand the egg heads in an egg carton or in an egg cup while they grow.

Children can paint faces and stick googly eyes onto the egg shells giving them funny faces to match their green cress hair!

Fancy trying something other than cress heads? We’ve got lots of fun cress ideas, including growing your child’s initial, a message, a pattern or a shape!

You May Also Enjoy 10 Easy To Grow Vegetables For First Time Gardeners

Looking After Your Cress Heads

Check your cress heads daily to see if they need water – don’t overdo it though as you can drown the little seeds if too much is added.

You’ll start to notice the little seeds germinate (appear) within a few days. Once they reach about 5cm in height you can harvest them. The easiest way is to snip through the stems with scissors. They taste lovely in egg sandwiches!

You May Also Enjoy How to Grow Your Own Pizza Garden

Have your say! Have you tried growing cress heads with your kids? Leave a comment below and let us know – we’d love to hear from you!