Sprouts or Sprouts?

I came across this cute little idea (from Sprout pencils) when I was researching some eco gifts for children to buy at the school Christmas fayre.

Although not a local supplier, I was totally captivated by the idea and it really sums up what I am trying to achieve with having greener gift options. These pencils are made from sustainable wood and come in both graphite and coloured pencils too! Hidden in the end of each pencil is a title capsule of (non-GMO) seeds which after the pencil has been sharpened until no longer as a pencil, it can be planted in a pot. With some love, water and care it will grow into whatever it says on the end of the pencil. These include herbs such as basil, thyme or flowers like daisies or carnations.

There are some different editions of the pencils like have some inspiring mindfulness quotes on them too like:

Your heart is full of fertile seeds waiting to sprout

Love is the flower, you have to let it grow

I found the most economical way for buying these was to buy them in a pack and then break them down into pairs so the children could buy 2 pencils for their £3. The smallest quantity is a pack of 8, but you can also buy them in teachers’ packs for a class of 32. What a beautiful gift to be able to inspire a generation with!

I contacted the company directly about the card display for these pencils and found them really helpful. There was a minimum order quantity for them to print the card but they kindly allowed me to use the artwork to create my own template to print them for selling at school.

They were a real hit with the children; a pencil is something so familiar to children but this really is a gift that gives back.

I feel excited about this idea and it will go a long way in reform the single use culture.