Burst of Bloom
Jigisha Gathani

In the realm of education, a bomb doesn't necessarily have negative connotations. Surprisingly, it can lead to flourishing—yes, I'm referring to a bloom. We're talking about seed bombs or Earth bombs. The entire JBCN International School community came together to witness the fruition of the seed bomb initiative.

During our unit of sharing the planet, serious concerns arose regarding rapid urbanization, greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate change. As a class, we engaged in contemplation: What can we do? How can we make a difference? How can we showcase commitment through tangible efforts, not just words? That's when the whole idea of growing trees was suggested. Living up to the facilitator's name, the teacher empowered the learners to make earth bombs with a fistful of soil, seed, water, and a bag full of enthusiasm. Children made earth balls, dried them in the sun, and kept them ready to burst.

Children loved it. For them, it was play; a constructive play that gave them a tactile experience and a joy of creation. The real magic happened when they could throw them anywhere without the fear of destruction or damage. In fact they were encouraged to drop as many as they could. Even I dropped a few. This time the burst was going to be creative and not destructive.

Now there was no stopping; the excitement was contagious. The movement picked up wind, from one class of grade 3 to the whole school. Our eco-warriors excitedly taught their friends, family and society the art of bomb making that was sustainable and brought about a green bloom.Through the whole school common forum of ‘Act to impact’ we collaborated with preprimary section teaching them newfound ball-making art, to help them take sustainable actions. Our IBDP learners used them in a plantation drive.

The cherry on the cake was when we received parental feedback of learners making the seed balls for Diwali and bursting them instead of crackers; This time it was a ‘Burst of bloom’. The bloom gave us reassurance that education breeds hope, and hope breeds new life.

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The project was more than just seeds; they symbolized seeds of change, planted with the hope of a greener, more sustainable future. The entire process provided a holistic learning experience of interconnectedness of environmental issues to researching and selecting native plant species, students delved into the complexities of ecological balance.

As the seed bombs burst into life, so did the realization that small actions, when multiplied, can have a significant impact. The learners sparked conversations about being responsible citizens within the local and global community by actively contributing towards a sustainable solution. The making of seed bombs was a testament to the power of education in action. Today, I narrate this story with with pride and belief that the story will be retold through the platform of stoffees for a greater climate action change. As rightly said by Greta Thunberg, "Alone we can do so little together we can do so much."