- November 15, 2024
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Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary School second-grader Hayden Laning smushed his seed ball together and rolled it around in his hand.
"It felt weird because it was all watery and runny," said Laning, who is 7.
Laning made a small dent in the ball so his mother, Kelly, could drop a few seeds into it. Kelly Laning volunteered Sept. 20 to help students complete different environmental activities to help them "bee the change."
Students in kindergarten through third grade made seed balls consisting of wildflowers and biodegradable paper as an activity to celebrate International Peace Day, which had the theme of climate action for peace.
Once the seed balls are dry, students can take them home to plant so the wildflowers can grow and bees can use them to continue pollinating.
"Hopefully the deer in my backyard don't eat it," said Sophie Lowrance, a 7-year-old second-grader.
Fourth- and fifth-graders created beeswax wraps, which are an eco-friendly food storage alternative to plastic wraps.
McNeal Elementary partnered with SUGAR, a local nonprofit, to provide activities centered around bees.
"Bees are becoming extinct, and they're really important to our lives, our food supply and so many things that we don't realize," said Kristi Dyer, an exceptional student education teacher. "Our kids are getting to 'bee' the change as they learn about spreading peace and kindness in our community."