What to do with the kids during lockdown? Practical ‘home learning’ – a sunflower growing competition!

Growing the tallest sunflower! Something different, involving, competitive and exciting that children can do whilst schools are closed (and helped by the good weather). Also a competition with a very practical and educational edge, a part of home schooling. Truly & her grandmother Kymee wanted to grow a sunflower and asked others to join them. Marlborough Beanie Kids started.

FaceBook group, Marlborough Beanie Kids gave away sunflower seeds so that local children can plant them at home and chart how big they get. “We want them to measure and record their growth,” says Kymee.  So far more than 100 children have joined in the effort. 

Aimed at 4-10 years old, each child is given five seeds and a growing diary. They can photograph the seedlings and with the help of an adult, post the progress onto the FaceBook group over the coming weeks and months.

There are videos on the page about planting and growing. They would really like help from Marlborough gardeners though, people who can help these young ‘Monty’s’ keep their plants on track. 

“We ask the children involved the size, progress and what they are doing to look after their sunflowers,” Kymee told marlborough.news. “And where they were planted and how many flowers came out?”….”We want this to be an exciting project the children can focus on during this unusual and difficult time.”

The Marlborough Beanie Kids FaceBook group enables the children to come together in a way that normal activity doesn’t currently allow.

“It’s a great home-schooling science, writing, and maths project if you count the measuring.” Kymee added. “This could give kids a feeling of belonging, something that’s possibly missing right now.”

Later in August the biggest and best will be awarded a certificate and prize. “We are hoping we can have a Marlborough Sunflower Walk later in the summer, hopefully the town and villages will be awash with these beautiful giant plants that can grow to 8 metres high!”

“It’s a phenomenal effort by our young people to do something as a group, a real community project. If all goes well, pumpkins could be next?” wondered Kymee.

And, maybe a project for the next Marlborough in Bloom entry, in 2021?