I recall, as a child, being annoyed at the childish way things "for children" were presented.

Personally, I think you can make your own experience for the kids, and just focus on one task at a time.

Why do they use the pellets? So the kid doesn't have to think about soil. So, instead, just mix up your own potting mix before inviting the child to the table.

I think growing something from seed is still good. Starting with a plant has less of a "wow" experience, and it's more like keeping a pet alive (or not, depending on how it goes). With a seed, your child is giving life to a new entity.

The coleus has been fun, germinated well, but they are super-tiny seeds, too.

Maybe sunflower? I know this really nice website that's giving out sunflower seeds...

The one pre-packaged plant I've had success with so far was a little cup made by Jiffy that had a watermelon seed embedded in a peat pellet. Just add water. It grew, but the other 3 or 4 we bought didn't.

I agree most of the stuff packaged for kids is crap - whether it's gardening kits or breakfast cereal. I think Bob is right, make your own experience.

The watermelon plant is in my garden now. Renny is very interested in it and tends to it regularly. But what has been the most successful approach with the kids so far has been to just apportion some of what I'm already doing to them.

So, some of the plants I started as seeds early this spring became property of the kids when we put them in the garden. Of course, the way that works is that I tend the plants 99.5% of the time, and the 0.5% of the time the kids spent there with me becomes the focus. It kind of goes like this:

Me: Hey you guys, I'm going to plant some of those seeds, check out what I'm doing!
R/C: Ok (loses interest in 5-10 mins)
-- 6 weeks later --
Me: Hey you guys, remember those tomatoes we started that are growing in the basement, let's plant them this weekend!
R/C: Ok, sure.
-- The weekend --
Me: (digs bed, applies fertilizer, brings starts to garden, gathers tools, then...) Hey, you guys want to plant those tomatoes you are growing?
R/C: Sure!
Me: Cool! (digs hole and instructs kids on planting)
-- Subsequently --
Me: (water, weed, fertilize, mulch, prune and tend tomatoes)
R/C: (watch me from afar while playing on swingset)
-- 2 months later --
Me: Mmmmm - these are awesome tomatoes you guys grew. Thanks!

Sorry I miss posted my response here http://greenthumbr.com/members/145/journal/2008/5/31/seed_too_small