Seed Bombs
20 min
5+
What Will You Learn?
Learn how to create a potent little package of everything needed to make a field of wild flowers.
Create Balls of Soil
Step 1
Add 5 parts of clay to 1 part of seed starter.
Ratios don’t care what the measurement is as long as both sides use the same unit of measurement. It can be 5 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon or 5 gallons to 1 gallon.
Step 2
Add water a little at a time and stir the mixture until it’s smooth but can still be molded.
Step 3
It’s time to get dirty. Roll out the soil into a ball with your hands and then put it down on a surface that won’t damage from moisture. Press your thumb into the ball to form a divot.
Add the Seeds
Step 4
Place 2 to 3 seeds in the hole of each ball. Don’t add too many or they will compete with each other when they sprout.
Step 5
Squeeze the tops of each ball closed again, surrounding the seeds with soil. Leave them to dry completely and they will harden.
When thrown into an empty field, the seeds will germinate and grow when they are rained on, filling the field with beautiful flowers.
What's Next?
Try forming the balls into fun shapes or pushing them into molds. Find local seeds that will help support your local bee populations, a local apiary (beekeeping) group can help you find the right plants.
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Materials:
- Air dry clay (or clay-only kitty litter)
- Packet of wild flowers
- Spoon
- Organic seed starting soil
- Mixing bowl
- Water
Maker Camp Project Standards
Based on NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)
NGSS MS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
- MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- MS-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.
- MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
NGSS HS.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- HS-ETS1-1. Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
- HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
- HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.
- HS-ETS1-4. Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
NGSS K-2 Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- K-2-ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
- K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
- K-2-ETS1-3. Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
NGSS 3-5.Engineering Design
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards.- 3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
- 3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
- 3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
