I’m not one of nature's rebels. The sad truth is I make Gloria Hunniford look like a wild child.

I’ve always been this way. I can still remember spending two hours hiding under my brother’s bed in tears so shamed was I at taking an After Eight mint without asking permission first (pretty crazy behaviour, I think you’ll agree – not only theft but also trespassing on a sibling’s territory).

So, you can imagine my trepidation at the idea of making bombs with the kids in the kitchen. Before MI5 decide to make a surprise visit to my sleepy Cambridgeshire village, I should probably clarify that these were seed bombs. I’d been sent a packet of this from Hen & Hammock. To be honest, I rarely review anything on the site but I rather like the stuff H&H sell and, quite frankly, it’s something to do with the kids inside (which is becoming quite important given the recent deluge).

So what did I think?

Well, first, the packaging is far too tasteful for kids. This sat on the kitchen counter for a couple of weeks without any of my three children saying “What’s that?, No, not that, that! Is it for us? Is it a present? Can we eat it? Can we open it? Let us open it! We want to open it NOW!”.

However, it has the world ‘bomb’ on it, which does give it a certain appeal to the destructive nature of most kids, plus, the chance to get messy. You empty the clay pellets and compost mix into a bowl, sprinkle on the seeds and add water. Then it’s simply a case of moulding your mix into small balls ready for hurling, and finally….

So, OK, that ‘…’ may have gone on for some time. The truth is I’m rather easily distracted and a little forgetful. Having first left the ‘bombs’ overnight to dry, I put them into an old margarine tub (just to keep them safe) and then promptly forgot all about them. It doesn’t help that, in our house, old margarine tubs are used for pretty much keeping anything in – screws, beads, bolognaise sauce, Sylvanian accessories – in fact almost anything except margarine, so it kind of blended into the background.

Two weeks later I opened it, found half the seeds had germinated, felt guilty and, rather than doing anything about it, just put the lid back on (it was the After Eight incident all over again, except without the marathon blubbing session).

Another week went by and I saw the margarine tub once more (I may have been looking for bolognaise sauce at the time… or a Sylvanian stethoscope – I can’t recall) and this time I took action, decisive action. I handed it to my daughter and told her to fling them in the playground – or maybe in that garden which looks a little bare (but make sure no-one was looking in case she got in trouble).

So yes, this is a lovely present to give to a child (and not badly priced at £6). It has no garish or excessive packaging and gives children the chance to get messy, throw bombs and, hopefully, look out for the bee-friendly species that will arise in their wake. Just don’t give it to anyone who is forgetful, too cheap to invest in decent Tupperware or who finds stealing wafer thin mints a guilt-ridden nightmare.

PS If you want to have a go at making some homemade seed bombs, there are some instructions all over the internet (just make very sure you include the word 'seed' in your search) - such as here or here.