STEAM: DIY Seed Bombs

Earth Day began in 1970 in response to the growing concern over the way corporations were treating our planet. Students and families just like you were devastated in 1969 by the massive oil spill in California. People soon realized that to be heard and to protect the planet, they would have to organize and work together.  

The movement was never exactly small. Even in 1970, 20 million people marched in the streets to voice their concerns. Today, it has grown into a worldwide event of a billion people “turning personal action into global impact.”  

There are many ways for you and your family to support the Earth this Earth Day. No act is too small. Speaking of small, if you want to help something small and make a big impact, then become a bee champion!  

Bees are one of our planet's most important pollinators. That means they move pollen from one part of the plant to the other (since the plants can’t move themselves). This enables plants to produce fruit. Without bees, we would lose a huge percentage of our food and plants, so they’re pretty important.

But every year, bees are affected by pesticides, climate change and a lack of habitat and food. These little insects need our help. We may feel small, but we can still do things to help with the big picture. 

Did you know we have a grocery store for bees here at Canton Public Library? It’s also known as a pollinator garden. This spring, walk outside to the back of the library, and you’ll see our flowers starting to grow. We planted our Wings of Wonder Butterfly Garden to provide butterflies, bees and other pollinators with healthy food to keep them strong. 

Another impactful way to support bees is for you to plant more flowers for them to eat. An especially fun way to do that is to make your own seed bombs. Seed bombs are little balls of clay, soil and seeds. They are an interactive way to get more flowers planted. Keep them for yourself or hand them out to your community. 

DIY Seed Bombs  

Ingredients 

• Air dry clay (we’ve used the Crayola brand, but try another brand and see what you think) 
• Potting soil 
• Seeds (local wildflower seeds are best). Some popular flower seeds for bees include bluebell, cowslip, eastern red columbine, oxeye daisy, white clover, anise hyssop, coneflower, aster and bee balm.

Directions 

1. Roll a small ball of clay. Maybe the size of a chocolate chip cookie. Maybe a big cookie. Maybe a small one. Experiment with the size, see what works best for you. 
2. Flatten out the ball of clay. Now it should look like pizza dough. 
3. Sticking with the pizza analogy, sprinkle a teaspoon (or so) of potting soil onto your clay.
4. Then, on top of that, sprinkle your toppings! Also known as the seeds.
5. Next (this part is nothing like making pizza), roll the flat clay in on itself and work it all into a ball. This part may be a bit messy! Don’t worry about doing this for too long; you’re just looking to get it all in a nice tidy ball. 
6. And last, but not least, let the seed balls dry for a few days.

Now comes the really fun part. Seed bombs are meant to be thrown and given away. Keep in mind, not every one of these seeds will sprout. To give them the best chances, wait until it’s warm outside. Throw them somewhere that doesn’t get mowed very often, but also somewhere the sprouts can see the sun.  

Have fun spreading the bee love this Earth Day!