I’m running about 2 weeks late. My original plan was to have these ready to send home with our Mother’s Day gift, well, it’s May 12th and we just started them. While these seed pods are designed for guerrilla gardening (similar to seed bombs, but easier to make) I imagine most will end up in a pot or planter at home.
This was set up as an independent stationary activity in my classroom, but it can easily be a group activity or an individual at home project.
wildflower seed pods
materials
- egg cartons – trim all the excess carton off so you are left with a little cup. I bet cutting with scissors would make nice neat little cups, I wouldn’t know because I ripped mine apart.
- soil/dirt
- wildflower seeds
- newsprint/newspaper – cut into a size that will cover the top of the egg cup
- homemade paste – 1/3 cup of flour mixed with 1/4 cup of water
- paint brush
Lesson
- First, I demonstrated this in a group, and then had the work set up at a table for the children to do independently. I still had to swing by and to help each child get started, or I had a kindergartener close by to help.
- Take one egg cup and fill it with a scoop of soil. I emphasized that the soil could not be higher than the edges of the cup.
- Sprinkle a pinch of wildflower seeds on top.
- Take a piece of newsprint – write your name in the middle of newsprint
- Flip over newsprint and paint the edges with the homemade paste
- Attach the newsprint securely around the egg cup. Paint more paste over edges if needed
These are designed so that they can be tossed into a field, or any space and they should bloom. I am worried if they end up upside down, that the egg carton won’t deteriorate fast enough for the seeds to sprout. I’m going to do a little wilder flower experiment, and plant a few around my house and see how they do.
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