Growing green
Growing green
This theme is about understanding how plants work with animals, the weather, and the landscape to form a bubble of life called an ecosystem. In this theme, you’ll explore which plants are good for nature. You’ll also find out about invasive species: when people introduce new plants or animals that harm an ecosystem.
You could get stuck in by planning, growing, and caring for your own plants, or you could help out at a local nature reserve.
There are five steps to this community impact project:
Earn stage one of your Community Impact Staged Activity Badge by learning about the importance of trees and plants, and growing them, in your local area.
Step one: identify the need
Try out any, or all, of these activities to learn about different plants and how to care for them. You could do them one after the other, or in separate sessions.
Play plant protectors and learn about native and invasive plant species in your area.
Takes: 45 minutes
Identify a tree in this unbe-leaf-able nature knowledge game, then head outside to see how many trees everyone recognises.
Takes: 25 minutes
Use the right tools to garden and maintain wildlife habitats.
Takes: 50 minutes
Step two: plan action
Now it’s time to decide what issue you should take action on and what you want to change.
Treat some trees with a trip to the barbers, as we have a go at pruning some branches and promoting new growth.
Takes: 45 minutes
Rescue rubbish from the recycling and use it creatively to make your garden green in more than one way.
Takes: 90 minutes
What does a plant need to grow? Get outside, get your fingers green, and find out in this fun science experiment.
Takes: 30 minutes
Step three: take action
To complete stage one of your badge, you’ll need to spend at least four hours taking action, over three months.
Build a bug hotel, a squirrel’s fridge, a bird’s perch, an air conditioner and a wonder of nature: plant a tree!
Takes: At least 3 hours
Turn tired tyres into blooming marvellous garden beds to add colour and encourage wildlife into even the smallest outdoor spaces.
Takes: At least 3 hours
Make homemade seed bombs and grow a beautiful wildflower space.
Takes: At least 3 hours
Step four: learn and make more change
After you’ve taken action, discuss what you’ve learned, how you have made people’s lives better, the skills or knowledge you’ve developed, and what you could do to help even more people in your chosen community.
Make postcards to reflect on what you’ve learned, what you’ve achieved, and what your next steps could be.
Takes: 25 minutes
Revise and recount a recent adventure to the rest of the group, with the help of some picture prompts.
Takes: Up to 1 hour
After taking action on social issues, it’s time to interview each other on camera so you can reflect and share what you’ve learned.
Takes: 1 hour
Step five: tell the world
Finally, it’s time to share your actions far and wide. Help other people to understand why the issue you took action on is important, what you did and how they can help.
After taking action on social issues choose the best method to tell people what you’ve done, then get stuck in.
Takes: 1 hour
Make it newsworthy and share a story you’re passionate about with the world.
Takes: 1 hour
Share your community impact project with the world by making a short film.
Takes: Up to 2 hours