Earlier this month I so impressed by Unilever’s latest film for their Project Sunlight program, “The Way Kids See it,” which features kids from all over the world and how they make a difference. From wanting clean, trash-free beaches to helping bring food to members of their community, the video and Project Sunlight’s site is incredibly inspiring and the website features a bunch of different, fun activities and ways to live more sustainably.
My mom gave me some seeds last time she visited to help inspire me to do some planting (that was months ago). And while I was perusing the Project Sunlight website, I came across this DIY project for ‘Growing Gardens.’ Not only does planting your own vegetables, fruits and hers reduce your carbon footprint and positively impact the environment, it’s fun and easy to do! And a great activity for kids.
Meet my friends Gabriel and Sebastian, they helped me with operation grow an at-home garden. And I think we did great! Sure I’m the Julia Child to their Martha Stewart in comparison to the pictures on the website (you can click HERE for their website instructions/images.), but I loved the way ours turned out. Sebastien decided to grow basil, and Gabriel picked Tomatoes. We got all of our supplies and in roughly 30minutes created our garden.
Here’s what you need:
· Six 8-ounce jars (glass or plastic) – we used an empty Hellmann’s jar!
· Potting soil – enough to fill all your jar(s)
· Small pebbles (this step we made optional in our project)
· Various vegetable, fruit and herb seeds (choose your favorites). Cilantro, basil and even bell peppers are great choices
· Water
· Marker/label
What to do:
· Step 1: Rinse out your jars to remove any food or debris, and label each jar with a marker or decorative label to indicate which vegetable, fruit or herb will be grown in each jar.
· Step 2: Fill your jars one-quarter full of pebbles covering the bottom to provide some drainage. (We skipped this step)
· Step 3: Add soil up to the top of the jar, leaving about 1 inch of space, and use your finger to make a hole for your seeds (refer to your seed packet to determine optimum depth for proper growth).
· Step 4: Place seeds in soil (refer to seed packet to determine how many seeds to use) and cover with more soil.
· Step 5: Water gently daily – be sure not to allow the water to pool or puddle – and place in a sunny area (windowsill, porch, etc.).
And viola! Operation home garden complete! How cute is this!?!?
If you have kids, I highly recommend this activity. We had a great deal of fun and it was something we could all do together. Check out projectsunlight.us for more activities and to learn more. And be sure to join the conversation by using the hashtag #brightfuture to send them updates on your Summer Sunlight Activity progress.
ABOUT Project Sunlight: In November of 2013, Unilever launched Unilever Project Sunlight, a long-term initiative to motivate people to live sustainably by inspiring them to create a brighter future for children. It aims to create a growing community of people who believe it is possible to build a world where everyone lives well and lives sustainably, without compromising the needs of future generations.
{Disclaimer: While this post is part of a sponosred campaign by Unilever Project Sunlight, all opinions and experiences expressed are entirely my own.}