06 Jun Exciting Seed Ball Project!

For the past 3 months, I’ve had the privilege of being the lead for a new activity project for the Forest Service’s Region 3 (Southwestern states). The activity project is: how to make seed balls! Seed balls are a mixture of soil, clay, and seeds that are used to spread native plants. They are used to plant seeds because they protect the seeds from the heat of the sun and from heavy winds. Plus, the hard clay casing may discourage animals from eating the seeds before they have a chance to germinate. For this project, I began by researching the best ways to make seed balls. I then drafted an activity sheet, with a seed ball recipe, that could help the public make their own seed balls. The activity sheet includes two ways to make seed balls, one using air-dry clay and the other option is powdered pottery clay. The activity also includes a lesson on what are native plants and why are they important.

After finalizing these activity sheets, we began the process of making a “how to” video for making seed balls. Since I was lead for the activity sheets, I was given the privilege to make the video script and be in the video. In this video, I show how to make seed balls in two ways and share the importance of native plants. Also, joining me in this video is Forest Service’s Woodsy Owl, a great co-host for the video and will keep our children audience engaged. The process of making the activity sheets and the “how to” video were so much fun and I am so honored to be a part of this exciting project. I am so excited that they will be available to Region 3 (Southwestern states) and I hope the activity will bring joy to the community!