Third grade students from Hayes Elementary have been getting their hands dirty this spring while participating in a Seed Relay.

Working in partnership with Heidi Ferris from Growing Green Hearts, students have been involved with gathering and planting seeds, and then watching the seeds become plants. The first part of the relay included having the students  rescue seeds from native prairie plants where they learned about the unique features of these plants. In the second part of the relay, students mixed peat moss and vermiculite as a soil base, added water and planted the seeds.

In part 3, students engineered paper pots with newspaper (no waste and biodegradable) and transplanted the seedlings that have been growing under a heat lamp in Mrs. C's office for several weeks. The experience has taught students many things about conservation and our environment.