they should take around 7-10 days, so yes he would see them sprout. always fun for little ones

Germinate the sunflower seed in some soil in a disposable plastic cup. Soak the seed and then water in. Place the cup somewhere warm every night (water cupboard, top of a heater etc). It should germinate within a day or 2, certainly within 5 days. Growth should be rapid if you move to a sunny window every day and warm bottom heat at night.

Why not get your grandson to plant the seeds and give him the plants to take back home with him and report on the growth to you? This will hopefully create enthusiasm and get him interested in gardening.

I used to give all the kids in my street a sunflower seed to plant and award prizes for the tallest one and also the biggest flower. I always got them knocking at my door around February asking me when I was going to dish the seeds out.

They have all grown up now, most of them have moved away and have children of their own. One of them visited their parents the other week and mentioned this, said he did the same thing with his two children last year and they thought it was great, got them out in the fresh air and kept them off the computer for a while.