The Problem
The Roots and Shoots Campaign that my 2017-2018 class has decided to start this school year actually is a continuation and addition onto the campaigns that my 2015-2016 and 2016-2018 classes began - that of a flourishing Monarch Waystation. This year's class would like to continue to build upon my previous classes’ vision by not only incorporating other native plants to attract other types of butterflies, especially those who flourish while the Monarch migrates north and or south of our garden, but would also like to inspire the creation of other Monarch enthusiasts through the gifting of “seed balls” to other nearby elementary and middle school communities.
Our Plan
Last year, my 2016-2017 class learned that seed balls made gardening easy, fun, and accessible. They learned that seed balls grow endangered wildflowers needed by pollinators, protect seeds from wind, birds, squirrels, and other critters, and has easy dispersal for more uniform coverage. So, they hand-rolled approximately 600 seed balls and shared them with their families and friends by putting bowls of packaged seed balls with planting directions (the “guerilla” method was the most popular to write about!) out at Open House for our entire school to take home to plant in their gardens. Many of my 2017-2018 class got to take these seed balls home as second graders and came into my third grade class at the beginning of this year not only wanting to make more seed balls, but enthusiastic to share them with the other schools close by to us. This goal came from wanting to include their friends who maybe are on the same sports teams, Girl and Boy Scout groups, or other community groups as well as their older siblings and their friends who may be at the middle school. So, my 2017-2018 class’ plan of action is to make more seed balls to not only share with our school community, but also the two elementary schools and the one middle school closest to our school campus.