Students go Wild for Flower Boxes
Students from across Bristol have had the exciting opportunity to work with Broad Meadow and create wildflower boxes to be displayed in Broadmead.
This exciting carousel of activities started with students learning how to make seed bombs using different soils and clays. Next students were given the opportunity to experiment with different soil types. Mixing water, bicarbonate soda and vinegar to see which types of soil would be better for planting different fruits, vegetables and flowers. Students then got even messier digging holes in the flower box, to plant their individual flowers. These boxes will be displayed in Broadmead over the next month so students and their families can see the fruits of their labour in person. Students finished the session reflecting on their own experiences of nature, through audio, writing and drawing.
At Oasis Brightstowe, year 7 wrote stories of their experiences in nature, then shared these with the wider group. They finished with a competition to see how far students could throw their seed bombs into the grassy space behind their classroom. How exciting will it be to watch these bloom over the coming months!
At Kingsweston, students learnt about the microorganisms on their bodies and in all living creatures around them. The school have their own meadow where students were able to plant their seed bombs. They will be returning with flower charts to see the progress of their seed bombs over the coming term.
At New Fosseway, students finished the session by returning to the classroom to create their own mass media artwork displaying a memory or favourite flower. Here they drew inspiration from real wildflowers on their desks- some students even added these to their artwork. Here are just a few examples of their artistic talents.
Finally, at Orchard, despite many students’ initial reluctance to get their hands dirty, once a few students started making seed bombs, everyone got stuck in. Students enjoyed learning about the different kinds of earth through this process, and after digging an area to expose some earth, students threw their seed bombs into the pit and spoke about how they were looking forward to returning throughout the spring and summer to see what they had seeded.
Thank you to Sylvia and Charli from the Broad Meadow for their excellent sessions, and to all the students and staff who contributed to this wonderful project.
Head down to Broadmead over half-term and check out the 56 flower boxes, created by students across Bristol- it should be quite a sight to behold!