Here is how the project went:
Students worked hard to cut twigs from the tree and dig holes to plant the twigs. While this was a one day Roots & Shoots project in the spring, it is also an ongoing project for JGEMS’ students to keep up on the wetlands and keep out invasive plant species.
Through this project I/we learned:
We learned that you can propagate a willow by cutting off a twig and immediately putting it into the moist soil. We also learned that creating a habitat that is not suitable for non-native plant species is a tactic to help keep it from growing. This project also created opportunities to learn to work together as a team. One person would cut the twig and the other would dig the hole. They would switch roles and trade off who planted the twig into the ground.
What I/we might change:
We did this a bit late in the spring. We would want to do multiple days and start earlier in the season to have the most success.
My/our favorite part of this project was:
We enjoyed working with our founder and getting to know him better through this project, as many of the students were sixth graders and had not had an opportunity to work with him.
Some tips, tricks or fun facts about the project:
The biggest take away for most of the participants was learning that you could simply remove a twig from a willow tree and plant it in the ground and you would actually grow a new tree!