ホウキモロコシ（別名：ホウキキビ）はイネ科の植物で、座敷箒の材料になる工芸作物です。掃除機や洋間の普及に伴い需要が衰退したことから、ホウキモロコシの栽培は少なくなりました。
環境創造コースでは地域資源活用や総合実習の授業で箒を制作します。箒の材料は生徒自らが栽培するホウキモロコシです。同コース２年生は、5月下旬に施肥・耕起・播種を行いました。6月5日には、出芽が確認できました。ホウキモロコシは順調に生育すれば8月中下旬から9月上旬にかけて収穫期を迎えます。材料の栽培から加工までを通してものづくりを体験できる授業はなかなかありません。手作りの箒が出来上がる日が楽しみですね。
Broom corn (also known as broom millet) is a member of the grass family. It is a craft crop used to make traditional zashiki brooms. As vacuum cleaners and Western-style rooms became popular, the demand for broom corn has declined, leading to a decrease in its cultivation.
In the Environmental Creation Course, students make brooms in their classes, including Local Resource Utilization and Comprehensive Practice. The broom materials are broom corn, which students grow themselves. In late May, the second-year students in the course fertilized and plowed, and then sowed the seeds. By June 5th, they observed the broom corn sprouting. If the broom corn grows well, it will be ready for harvest from mid to late August to early September. There are few classes where students can experience manufacturing from material cultivation to processing. We are looking forward to the day when handmade brooms are ready.
