‘We know that gardening is good for you.  it is fantastic, all-round exercise…It inculcates high level of well-being.’  Monty Don

‘Gardening is learning, learning, learning.  That’s the fun of them.  You’re always learning.’  Helen Mirren

 

A school garden is a great way to develop children’s understanding of where fresh food comes from and an appreciation of just how delicious it can be.  Our school garden offers our children the chance to get involved in encouraging wildlife and growing fruits, vegetable and flowers – a skill that will last them a lifetime.

By learning in ‘The Great Outdoors’, children learn from their own strengths and by the mistakes they make.  Through successfully facing challenges, they build resilience, self-esteem and confidence.  There are many opportunities to develop cooperation and team building skills as well as a connection with nature and each other.  Being in the outdoors is great for our children’s physical and mental health and wellbeing.  Participating in outdoor activities helps to develop strength, coordination, balance and fitness.

 

2020-2021

 

Summer 2021

Throughout the summer, St Bernadette’s garden has been a hive of activity.  From renovating the greenhouse to digging out a new wildlife pond to making a fire pit – we have been kept very busy.  Another focus has been attracting pollinating insects into our garden by sowing a wildflower bed.  As in previous years, we have been planting, watering, weeding, harvesting and enjoying fruits, vegetables and flowers.

Bug Hotels

Year 5 investigated, designed and made a range of bug hotels.   Why build a bug hotel? Bug hotels benefit lots of different types of minibeast and insects such as ladybirds, bees, spiders and woodlice. Minibeasts can then use your bug hotel as a safe space to shelter, lay their eggs, raise their young, and seek refuge from predators.

 

 

Encouraging Wildlife to the Garden

Year 5 have planted seeds and bulbs in their bed to create a wildflower heaven that will attract bees and butterflies.

 

 

Year 4

Year 4 have weeded and begun to dig over our beds so that they will be ready for planting in the near future.  We are aiming to grow a range of flowers, vegetables and fruits.  We hope that the flowers will help to attract wildlife and so our other plants will be pollinated well.  Our seeds have been sown and are beginning to sprout so they will soon be ready to be planted out.

 

           

 

Seeds and Seedlings

The seeds and seedlings that have been planted are beginning to grow.  From raspberries to tomatoes and peppers along with lettuce to sweetcorn.  We are looking forward to using them in Cook and Eat.

The Great Outdoors - Seedlings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our project begins!

Over the course of the autumn term, many of our children have been involved in the preparation of the beds.  They have pulled out numerous weeds and dug the beds over so that they are ready for planting in the spring.  With the help of our Year 3 mathematicians, we have now covered the beds with weed suppressing material.

The Great Outdoors

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Garden Club

Our fantastic gardening club has worked so hard over the past few weeks to prepare the greenhouse ready for tomatoes and cucumbers.  They have been involved in renovating our bug hotel with the twigs cut from the willow tree entrance that Mrs A pruned back.  Our next job is to dig up and move the raspberry plants.

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