Question
Hi Jim
I have a garden at my school. A friend of mine gave me some seeds from her magnolia tree. If the children plant them how long will it take to see a sprout? Our garden is based around the 5 senses. Which area should we plant them in?  Your first graders are wanting to know.Thanks.......

Answer
The seed should be cleaned before planting or stratifying. To remove the fleshy seed coat, soak the seed overnight in warm water. Remove the seed coat by rubbing against hardware cloth or window screening. After cleaning, the seeds should be sown immediately or stored for 3 to 6 months at about 40 degrees F and planted in the spring. An excellent way to stratify seeds is to use a polyethylene bag and place alternating layers of a moist medium such as a sand and peat mixture and seeds in the bag. Tie the top of the bag and place in a refrigerator at about 40 degrees. The medium should be just moist enough to stick together but not so wet that it will drip if squeezed by hand.

Sow in a light compost of two parts peat, one part loam and one part sand. Don't let the seeds dry out. Cover with 1/2" of compost. Cover the tray or pot to maintain moisture and protect the seed. They should germinate in about four weeks. Pot them after about four weeks, making sure the roots don't dry out.

Magnolias are slow to germinate it may take several months to see the sprouts. Also magnolia grown from seed take up to 10-20 years before they bloom. So I guess the sight sense will be the place for many years. I would not expect much from the seed some seed have a low germination rate.
If you want some faster results I would try acorns from oaks. These germinate well and soon after they are planted. All that needs to be done is plant them and keep the potting soil moist but not wet and these will geminate within a month or so.