Bombs Away for youth and adults at Ripley Horticultural Society March Break program

About 60 people, including 35 youngsters and 27 adults, gathered in the activity room at the Ripley-Huron Community Centre, Wednesday afternoon, to play games, plant seed bombs, and then practise how to throw them.

It was all part of the Ripley and District Horticultural Society's March Break program, affiliated with its "For Our Youth" club.

The idea for this program stemmed from the rising number of horticultural society members who had their grandchildren visiting during March Break and wanted an activity to do with them, says leader Tryntje Eisen.

A program flyer was sent to school-aged children, through the Ripley-Huron Community School, noting that the children don't have to be members of the youth club to participate.

In the past, the group has done: painting with nails (2011), painting flowers (2012), bird feeders (2013), growing things (2014), egghead cress (2015), and this year, seed bombs.

Eisen said the number of attendees has steadily grown with about 30 youth and 30 adults taking part.

This year, the afternoon began with Flower Bingo, in which children and adults identified the flowers on their Bingo cards, as they were called out, in order to make a Bingo and win prizes.

Then each youngster received three balls of clay which he/she shaped into bowls, filled with seeds, formed back into balls and put in a bag to take home. These seed bombs can be thrown along the side of the road, in a ditch, in front of some trees or bushes, just about anywhere that needs to be beautified, said Eisen. For best results, they should be thrown when the ground is warm and wet, usually in late April or May.

Once the seed bombs were completed, the children and club leaders left the room for a game of Bombs Away, with the youngsters using ping-pong balls to practise their launching skills. Meanwhile, the adults tended to the business end of the meeting.

At the end, everyone was back together to enjoy refreshments and the children took their seed bombs home.

Leaders of the "For Our Youth" club, include Eisen, Heather Newman, Linda Jaynes, and Mary Rose Walden. Club meetings are held the third Saturday of the month, in May, June, July, August, September and November. Young people must be six years of age to attend.
 

In 2015, the club members had a lot of fun learning about the great outdoors, and they and their leaders are looking forward to another great year of studying "all things bright and beautiful."
 

For more information contact Eisen at eisendeel@hotmail.com.