Inclusive Resource on Sensorimotor Child Development for Parents and Teachers

Flower Bombs to Create a Beautiful & Sustainable World

We’ve all had our share of rainy days this spring.  So, what to do when the temperature plummets (yet again), the wind whips and rain drums against the windows?  I squeezed into three layers of clothes,  dreading  my three hours in the raw, biting cold.  Happily upon arrival,  I discovered that Stephanie, our expert farmer, had planned an inside gardening task.

IMG_2511Some call them “Seed Bombs” and others call them “Flower Bombs.”  The idea began when forests were destroyed by wild fires. How to reseed and plant all the crags and crevices of mountainous terrain posed a significant challenge. Some brilliant individual came up with the idea of sticking seeds in little clay balls and tossing them strategically from an airplane.  The ball is heavy enough to get pulled to earth (Seeds alone have the potential to fly for miles beyond the targeted locale).  Compost and soil are mixed into the clay orb so all the nutrients required upon landing are present for the seeds to germinate and grow.

Flower Bombs are the ammunition of choice in “Gorilla Farming.”  Folks walk around the city and when they encounter an abandoned lot or other such eye sore, they  toss their seed bombs.   Our kids planned on bringing their bombs home to beautify their yards.

Equipment:

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  • IMG_2513Clay (Natural-not Plasticine)
  • Seeds
  • Tiny cups (such as pill cups) to hold seeds
  • Compost
  • Soil

 

 

 

 

 

Directions:

  • IMG_2489Presort seeds into cups (we gave a mini-cup to each child)
  • Roll out small clay balls
  • Work in soil and compost by pressing, rolling and kneading
  • Press seeds into the outside of the ball (approximately 6 per ball)
  • Place on a tray to dry (at least 24 hours)
  • Have fun “bombing” the neighborhood with the seeds!

 

IMG_2546

 

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Benefits:

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This post reflects the partnership and creative collaboration between The Motor StorySustainable CAPE and Truro Recreation.

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2 Comments

  1. L. Dawn Fischer L. Dawn Fischer
    May 5, 2014    

    Yes, encourage kids to garden and have fun in the process. No, don’t relate it to a terrorist activity that has so badly hurt the people of Boston, for example. Can you find another phrase to use instead of bombs? Maybe a target game of some sort.

  2. Jill Mays Jill Mays
    May 6, 2014    

    Thanks for the FB…we’ll call them by the real name “Flower Bombs”…moving on with a positive spin to a word that sadly connotes loss and chaos instead of growth and beauty.

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