‘You’re going to make something you can eat out of rubbish’
You can imagine the faces that were pulled when I said this to a group of 7 and 8 year olds.
One of the activities that I delivered as part of a recycling awareness session was to make a ‘cress head’ using an unwanted plastic bottle.
The other activities included a ‘Rubbish Challenge’ of sorting real (but clean) items of rubbish and recycling, a ‘Recycling Expert’ quiz and an opportunity to make a ‘Recycling Promise’.
For the fourth activity I wanted something practical that shows how materials are all resources, even those that we may throw away. And, knowing my audience, I wanted something a bit messy!
Using an unwanted plastic bottle to grow cress seeds felt the right choice as it ticked the boxes to deliver my key messages but it also went a few steps further.
- In school
Key stage 3 Science includes learning about the basic functions and needs of plants and also that animals, including humans, get nutrition from different types of food.
Talking with the learners while making the cress heads provides an opportunity to talk about what the cress will look like, how long it will take to grow and how to look after the seeds and this all links to the science curriculum. Chat can also turn towards the nutritional value of the cress and how the learners will use it: ‘on a pizza’ continues to be my favourite!
This also links in with Design and Technology which in primary schools includes finding out about a healthy diet and preparing simple meals and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) which includes health and wellbeing as a core theme.
- In the home
In addition to helping support formal learning, my aim for this activity was to show every learner that they could grow something at home. Every gardener knows the sense of achievement you get from growing something you can eat and this activity can give the same reward, helping to develop confidence and self-esteem. I also hope that this will lead to a curiosity about what else could be grown and that the space on the window sill will soon be home to a tomato plant or a herb box.
The point of this article isn’t to get you making your own cress head (although this is definitely encouraged!) but to show you the thinking behind just one simple activity. Who knew a cress head could think so much!
February 2020
Emma Richardson-Calladine is the owner and director of waving back. Emma provides marketing and education for sustainability consultancy for businesses making (and trying to make) positive environmental and social impacts. If you have a project that could provide real world examples for schools, email hello@wavingback.co.uk and visit www.wavingback.co.uk for more information.