Did you ask your Co-op group or family if they want to do an environmental project? If their answer was a resounding 'yes', then it's time to consider examples of watershed projects. The project does not have to be complicated or expensive to resonate with kids. Two ideas are planting a vertical wall and installing a rain barrel. My kids have constructed vertical green walls from pallets. This is very economical. You will need a pallet, landscape fabric, burlap, soil, and plants. We did not have any luck germinating seeds in a vertical wall. We did some long term experiments with herbs over the winter with mixed results. Our original purpose was to try to cultivate native plants inside with a vertical wall to replant outside later as part of another mitigation project. I still like the idea.
We bought, painted, and eventually installed rain barrels, too. The rain barrel is set up to collect water from a down spout attached to gutters surrounding the roof of your house. Kids like to paint them. Projects like these must belong to the kids to be successful. They must research designs, instructions, tips, etc. The kids should be prepared to explain how their project impacts the local watershed. They should make calls to locate supplies. The kids should budget. The more you let them do, the better. The success of small projects pave the way to larger projects. Take a big breath and let the kids run the project.
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