Workshop 11: Little Changes Everywhere: Seeds of Inspiration

 Recap & Overview | 1 min

Briefly reconnect the Ambassadors to their journey so far.

Say: “Last week, we introduced you to some of the types of Project Planet Loves you can get involved in. We also played the board game, ‘Welcome to Greenville’, which was all about completing projects in a local neighbourhood. This week, you’re going to take action with a hands-on project right here at school!”

Note: Depending on the needs of your group, choose how much to reveal about the activity:

• More support: Tell the Ambassadors they will be making wildflower seed balls that can help provide food and habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies.

• Less support: Explain they will be making something using compost, clay and seeds to help wildlife.

• Least support: Invite them to discover what they are making as they go.

Making Wildflower Seed Balls | 25 mins

Ask “Does anyone know what a guerilla gardener is?”

Take responses. 

Explain “A guerilla gardener is someone who grows plants in neglected public spaces to make them better for wildlife and people. And today, you get to become guerilla gardeners!”

Organise the Ambassadors into groups of three. Encourage them to work with people they haven’t worked with yet. 

Ask them to start by reading the instructions and deciding on how to collaborate. Invite them to think about how they can work together using the Ubuntu philosophy. 

Encourage all the Ambassadors to use their hands by positively role-modelling this. If anyone finds this challenging, suggest they take on other tasks, like mixing dry ingredients or pouring water.

Step-by-Step Method for the Ambassadors:

Each group of three will need:

• Wildflower seeds (1 cup)

• Peat-free compost (5 cups)

• Powdered clay (clay soil can also be used) (2-3 cups)

• Mixing bowl

1. In a container, mix together the seeds, compost and clay powder.

2. One person in your pair collects a scoop of water.

3. Slowly pour just enough water into the mixture while mixing it with your hands. Stop pouring when it starts to form a bread dough consistency. Emphasise that you need a lot less water than you think, so go slow.

4. Roll the mixture into firm balls about the size of golf balls.

5. Once all the mixture is rolled into balls, take them carefully to the facilitator, who will find a place where they can dry out. 

After creating their seed balls, ask them to rinse their hands in the provided container of water.

Tidy-up

Ask the Ambassadors to help clean the tools and tidy the resources. Remind them to wash their hands thoroughly before their next lesson.

Optional Seed Ball Quiz

If you have time, form a group circle and use the following questions to have a short quiz or discussion. 

Question: Why do you think you made seed balls?

Possible Answers:

• Seed balls produce wildflowers, which feed pollinators like bees and butterflies.

• Pollinators help other plants grow fruits and seeds. Birds, animals and people eat these. So when we help pollinators by planting flowers, we're helping the whole web of life stay healthy.

• Seed balls help restore habitats and support entire ecosystems.

Question: Why do you think a seed ball contains both soil and clay?

Possible Answers:

• The clay protects the seeds from insects and birds, and the soil provides nutrients.

• Seed balls can lay dormant for a couple of years before germinating.

• These seed balls contain the seeds of wildflowers that help provide bees and other pollinators with shelter and food.

Question: Why do you think it is important to help bees?

Possible Answers:

• UK bee populations have reduced by about a third in the last 30 years.

• Bees are under threat and need our help.

Question: Can anyone guess what percentage of our crops bees help pollinate?

Possible Answers:

• Bees help pollinate 70% of the crops we eat, allowing us to produce the fruits and vegetables we like to eat. It will be much harder to produce these crops without bees.

• Bees also pollinate wild plants which provide a source of food and shelter for many other creatures.

• The health of our local ecosystem is dependent on the health of our bees and other pollinators.

Question: Where do you think these seed balls should go?

Possible Answers:

• What kind of places might need more wildflowers? Take responses:

• Explain: Wildflowers grow best in soil that isn't too rich, often places that are a bit neglected or not heavily managed. So we need to think carefully about where they will have the best chance to grow.

• Invite them to suggest:

  • Places in the school grounds

  • Local green spaces

  • Areas that feel unloved or underused

Explain that they will return to this later when they use them, and that choosing the right place is part of taking responsible action.

Embed the Learning | 4 mins

Ask:

• “How can a small action, like making a seed ball, lead to a bigger change for nature?”

• “What could happen if lots of people took small actions like this?”

• “Where could we use our seed balls to make a difference to nature on our doorstep?”

Link to next week's session: “Next week, we are going to be exploring what we mean by change and the many different ways change happens - within us and in the world around us.” 

The 3-2-1 Reflection is split into two parts. If you have time, complete both. If not, choose Part 1 or Part 2, based on what you feel will best serve the needs of your group.