Lane End Primary School

School Garden 2011

The children have been enjoying the start of the planting season and their work in the garden so far this year. There is more to come as the warmer weather starts (hopefully). We hope to have a great crop for the children to harvest, cook and eat later in the year. The hands-on experiences the children gain are helping them understand about looking after our environment, where our food comes from and why we should value it as well as giving real life science and geography lessons.  The garden has also played host to our ‘bug club’ run at lunchtimes by Mrs Tucker, one of our mid-day assistants, and to drama lessons during curriculum time. Miss Joseph’s Year 1 and 2 gardening and environmental club have also had a lot of fun working hard in the garden after school during the Spring Term.

The reception children have already planted their potatoes; the Year 1 children are looking forward to planting flowers and sunflowers next week; Class 2 have grown tomato plants from seeds which are waiting for warmer weather to go in the garden; Class 3 have planted salad and will also be planting onions; Class 4 have already planted their beans and potatoes in very neat rows; Class 5 are ready to go with their pea and flower planting and are currently in the middle of a fuchsia growing competition (thank you to Harrison’s granddad from the fuchsia society for this opportunity); Class 6 have planted onions which are growing well already.

Ably assisted by Mrs Marnie, some of the children from Class 1 and Class 6 have recently planted fruit trees and bushes in the garden to create a mini-orchard. Mr Rhodes has planted herbs with some of the Year 4 children. The children have also been enjoying our new African dreams area and picnic table. We now have a new school gardener from gardening company Suburban SK, Jason Gash, who will be keeping the school field and boundaries smart and will also be able to help us keep our PTA school garden in check, giving us his expertise for new educational garden projects such as our bug hotel.

It really is a whole school project! If any more parents/grandparents want to get involved with helping in the garden then please let us know.