If you've driven past the rice country of eastern Arkansas lately, the harvest is long done. But this year's harvest had a story behind it. The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture reported on Oct. 5, 2026 that Arkansas rice has now faced abnormally hot, dry harvest weather for four years in a row. In 2026, daytime highs topped 100°F and nights stayed at 75°F or warmer, and Extension rice agronomist Jarrod Hardke described the crop as "cooking" in the field.
When grains dry out too fast, they turn brittle and break during milling, and farmers get paid less. One idea researchers are looking at: planting a little later in spring so the crop matures in cooler weather.
That's real farm science happening right here in Arkansas, and it all comes down to one question your kids can test at the kitchen table: how does temperature change the way a plant grows?
What your kids will learn
Grades K–5
- What seeds need to germinate: water, air and the right warmth
- The parts of a sprouting seed: root, shoot and seed leaves (cotyledons)
- How to count, measure and draw what they see each day
- That farmers watch the weather closely because plants respond to it
Grades 6–12
- The stages of germination and early seedling development
- Independent, dependent and controlled variables in a fair test
- Calculating germination rate (sprouted seeds ÷ total seeds × 100) and graphing it over time
- Heirloom (open-pollinated) varieties and how traits are passed down
- Connecting a home experiment to real agricultural decisions like planting dates
This week's activity: the Warm Spot vs. Cool Spot Seed Race
Tomato seeds are perfect for this because they're small, easy to see and usually sprout within about a week and a half. Any seed you have will work, though.
- Make a prediction. Ask: "Will seeds sprout faster somewhere warm or somewhere cool?" Write each child's hypothesis at the top of a page.
- Prepare two bags. Dampen two paper towels (wet but not dripping) and slide each into its own zip-top bag. Label them "Warm" and "Cool."
- Count your seeds. Place the same number of seeds, 10 is easy math, on each towel, spaced apart. Seal the bags with a little air inside.
- Pick two spots. Put the Warm bag somewhere cozy, like a high shelf in the kitchen. Put the Cool bag somewhere chilly but not freezing, like a garage shelf or an unheated room. If you have a thermometer, record the temperature of each spot.
- Check once a day. Count how many seeds have a visible root. Record the date, the count and a quick sketch. Older kids can measure root length in millimeters.
- Keep everything else the same. Same seeds, same towels, same water, same light. Temperature is the only thing that should be different.
- Graph and discuss. Plot "days" on the bottom and "seeds sprouted" up the side for each bag. Which bag won the race? How might this help a farmer decide when to plant?
Want to take it further without hunting for supplies? The Heirloom Tomato Seed Germination Science Kit comes with 20 heirloom tomato seeds in assorted varieties and absorbent germination paper, plus grade-level curriculum and observation worksheets emailed after purchase. Tomato seeds typically sprout in 3–10 days, and once the roots reach about half an inch, kids can transplant the seedlings into soil and keep the study going.
- K–5 lessons walk through what seeds need, setting up the experiment, watching roots and shoots appear, and transplanting.
- 6–12 lessons add heirloom varieties and heredity, hypothesis writing, data collection and graphing, and a lab report.
- Because the seeds are assorted heirloom varieties, kids can also compare how different tomatoes sprout, a second variable to explore.
For families who want a whole season of experiments, the Heirloom Vegetable Seed Science Collection includes 30 individually packaged heirloom varieties (about 5,000 non-GMO, open-pollinated seeds) with germination supplies and curriculum. Run the warm-vs-cool test with beans, beets, lettuce and more, and see whether every plant family reacts the same way.
Join the growing community
Every purchase includes an invitation to Aardvark's Seed Planting For Little Hands, our private support group for students and families using our kits. Post a photo of your two bags, share your sprout-count graph, and ask questions if something isn't sprouting. Young growers from Little Rock to the Ozarks, plus families in West Virginia and Arizona, are running experiments right alongside you.
Start your seed race this week
Arkansas farmers are thinking hard about heat, timing and how plants respond. Your kids can think like agricultural scientists too, one sprout at a time.
- Heirloom Tomato Seed Germination Science Kit – $25.00 (Grades K–5 or 6–12)
- Heirloom Vegetable Seed Science Collection – $85.95 (Grades K–5 or 6–12)
