Are you addicted to your morning cup of coffee and love your new pod coffee machine? Well here is a great idea to use those pods instead of just tossing them out!

I think this would be a fun activity to do with children either at home or in a classroom setting.

For this project I used:

Pods, the Coffee Grinds, Newspaper, Water, Buckets, 2 x different Herb Seeds and Muslin.

Before beginning you will need to remove the foil lid from the pods. Empty the used coffee grinds into another container. You need to save these, we will use them later. Wash the pods thoroughly.

Step1: Tear newspaper into strips. If you have a shredder go ahead and use the paper from that.

Step 2: Put the paper strips into a bucket and slowly cover with water. You don't need the paper floating, just enough water so the paper will go mushy. I left mine for a few days but a couple of hours is usually enough time.

Step 3: Drain off excess water. Tip the paper into a square of muslin and squeeze the excess water out. Save this water, you may need it.

Step 4: Put the paper back into a bucket. Add the coffee grinds. Do this slowly. You need the mixture to be as pliable as biscuit dough. If the mixture gets too dry add a little bit more water. If you can squeeze water out it is too wet.

Step 5: Add both types of seeds. Feel free to add more than two types of seeds just try to make them compatible. Mix these through mixture.

Step 6: This is the fun part. Gently flatten out the bottom of the pods. Start stuffing the mixture into the pods. You are all done.

My seed packets stated it would take 7-14 days before you saw anything green but within 4 days I had little green heads starting to poke through. I sprinkled the pods with water on day 7.

If the 'soil' starts to feel dry give them a light water.

This last image was taken on Day 9 after planting. All of the pods had sprouted. When ready to plant out gently loosen the soil, tap out and plant in the garden or large pot. Don't bother removing the paper it will break down in the soil.

This article was first published on My Green Australia. My Green Australia is a resource of information about living green and healthier in Australia. We want to protect and cherish our country and preserve the natural beauty of Australia for many generations to come.