Starting rice from seed

My husband and son received a small packet of rice "seed" (meaning totally unprocessed) from a shrine.  It came with instructions in how to grow it in a bucket.  We had to purchase the bucket and three types of soil.  Always looking for new things to try, we decided to try to grow some rice.  We're entering into this knowing that we won't be growing any measurable quantity of it.  It is more just a fun experiment to show our son all the stages that this vital crop goes through in order to get to the table.

We started with two steps - soaking the rice until it sprouted and drying out the soil.  Both of these steps were perfect for including our son.  He loved checking on the rice for hints of change.  Of course, mixing the soil (6 scoops of black soil, 3 scoops of medium grain soil, and 1 of small grain soil) was even more exciting.

A couple days later, when the rice was ready, we turned the dirt into mud.  Getting to mix the water with the dirt was what many kids dreams are made of, so my son was super keen to stir it all together.  He needed a bit of help towards the end because it is rather thick!

Once properly mixed, he dropped the sprouted rice with at least a 1 inch space between each grain.  Then he poked each one down so it disappeared under the mud (about a 1/4 inch).

Now the waiting game begins.  This is normal for gardening of any kind.  The anticipation.  The wonder if we will be successful.  The hope.  It is all there.