Mossy Activities and Makes
At the dawn of time, moss was the first plant to venture out of the sea and onto the barren land. Over millions of years, mosses trapped energy and buried carbon deep beneath the surface, transforming our planet into a place where life could thrive.
Moss grows in the cracks, at the edges and in the shadows. Look closely and you will discover a truly wild place on your doorstep.
Each tiny moss reveals skills for using energy well and successful living. Persistence, resilience, simplicity, adaptability. From mosses we gain hope as they return carbon to the earth.
There is so much to learn from nature. Though small, moss tells us that tiny actions can make a big difference. When we work together, we can bring abundance back to abandoned places.
Look at Moss
Watch this short video to join Art and Energy’s Naomi for a stroll to look at mosses, then pop on your shoes and go a mossy exploration of your own. You may want to take a magnifying glass to look closely, alternatively a camera with a zoom can help you to look closer.
How many different shaped leaflets can you find?
What’s the most unusual place you can see moss growing?
Push your fingers down deep into the moss, think of how long these tiny plants have been using the suns energy to turn carbon dioxide into new growth!
Draw Moss
Whilst you’re out on your moss hunt, take along some paper and drawing materials to make a visual record of the what you find. Try not to worry about it being a work of art - drawing gives us an opportunity to slow down and observe, to relax our brains, to share our observations with others, and to see the world differently.
When we say ‘drawing materials’ this can be really varied… pencil, charcoal, crayons, pastels… use what you have to hand and see what works for you. You may like to share your doodles on the www.BuryTheGiant.club to inspire other.
This activity is on page 16 of our publication ‘Be More Moss : A Mossellany of Questions for Life’
Make a jam jar terrarium
Imagine a reminder so beautiful it's like a work of art. It can nudge us to remember our planet and why we need to protect it.
Use a glass jar and loo roll from your recycling bin, plus some moss and soil from outside to create a precious eco-reminder for your windowsill. Add a little rainwater, then seal and enjoy! Find full instructions on page 22 of our publication ‘Be More Moss : A Mossellany of Questions for Life’
When foraging for your materials remember that we don’t want to cause damage to the natural world.
Where possible look to rehome moss from an area where it’s at risk already - for example from a path or gutter where it’s unwanted (with property owners permission).
Check that the site you’re taking from is not a protected area (In UK a SSSI).
Choose somewhere with lots of moss and take only the tiniest amount - You only need a little as the moss will grow!
Looking even closer
We took some moss samples to the Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre at the University of Plymouth. This short video shows just a few of the amazing images we came away with. We will never look at mosses in the same way again!
Be More Moss: A Mossellany of Questions for Life
There are lots more moss inspired activities in our publication, ‘Be More Moss: A Mossellany of Questions for Life’. You can view this for free as a digital book, or you might choose to purchase a paper copy and use it as a project book to work through to delve further into the wonderful world of moss, and how we can be creative in our response to the climate emergency. Find out more here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed a moss-inspired activity or two. Now you might like to…
Find out more Mossy Facts
Continue getting creative by joining in with the Mossy Make.
Tell the Tardigrade about the moss-like actions you’re taking for a better future.
Get creative using words - find out about the Poetry Slam.