Topic: School Gardening Club

[ted72]

I work as a TA in Reception class in a primary school.

Because of my interest in gardening I have been asked by the headteacher to set up a gardening club to run for an hour one evening after school.

Therefore any ideas for activities or places to visit on the web to access cheap or even better free supplies would really be appreciated.

I would like to run it as a kind of nature/craft/growing club if that makes sense???

The age range of children accessing the group will be from reception( the age that Im used to) right through to year 6 so a wide range of activities will need to be available.

We have joined the morrisons lets grow scheme again but the goods we recieve will not be available until late next spring/summer.

Many thanks
trina x

[thifasmom]

this blogger runs a gardening blog you might find it useful? good luck.

http://www.carrotsandkids.com/

[ceres]

An infrequent poster here on A4A runs this website as a business.  I think you have to pay for some of the resources but there is a lot of free info too.


http://theschoolvegetablepatch.schools.officelive.com/default.aspx

[Unwashed]

Growing Schools.  Potatoes for Schools.  The Growing Schools Garden.  Those might be of help.

[Eristic]

The age range of children accessing the group will be from reception( the age that Im used to) right through to year 6

Could we either have this in proper plain English or Imperial units please.

I hardly think you need online resources, just a patch of mud to play in.

[ted72]

Thank you so much
thifasmom
ceres
Unwashed
for the links and the good wishes

Eristic I find your comment quite insulting, I want to give the kids the best I can... they are after all the future generation of gardeners!!!!

[Georgie]

Hi Ted

I think it's great that you have volunteered to do this and I wish you every success.  (BTW those who don't know the terms 'reception' and 'year 6' should really stay out of such threads or get with it!)

I can help by sending you some seeds if you need them (PM me and we can discuss) and I've got lots of ideas for getting children of this age interested if you need help.  I'm assuming the club will only be once a week or so so here's a starter for ten.  Using damped kitchen roll/cotton wool in an old shallow plastic fruit/meat tray get the kids to sow Cress seeds in the shape of the letter of their first name.  Next week hey presto!

G x

[Borlotti]

Years ago when I went to primary school, we used to do basket weaving and cane work (think that was in the top class, ie 10/11).  I loved it.  I assume you have 4 - 11 year olds so obviously that is quite an age gap.  Some schools visit allotments, that may be an idea for a trip out.  If you have space they all love to see sunflowers grow.  Depends how many children you get and what age range, you may need some help.  Do you have a greenhouse, outside garden.  Anyway good luck and am sure you will have plenty of good ideas from this site.

[Sparkly]

How about growing pumpkins and measuring their size to estimate weight (for the older ones) and then having carving competitions for all? At least you could get these well mulched and probably get away with no (or very little maintainance) over the summer and then have them ready in the autumn term.

There are alot of schemes for school gardening. The kids I work with are 6th formers, but we got free wood for raised bed, top soil, a polytunnel, pond liner and 3 tonnes of gravel. Alot of this was via local businesses.

[Eristic]

Eristic I find your comment quite insulting, I want to give the kids the best I can... they are after all the future generation of gardeners!!!!

I take it from this acidic comment that the future generation of gardeners will be reliant on technology instead of skill. To teach any group of beginners how to garden all that is required is a patch of dirt and a few seeds. Why try to make out that there is anything else to it? Radish to appease the impatient, psb to test their endurance. Simple. The person that can grow radishes and psb will have the skill to grow most other veg.

Besides that, are the age group of these learners a secret or something?

[small]

What space do you have available? And how many children do you intend to have?  I used to run a fairly ad hoc club during lunchtimes, the most popular part was always weeding! Consider acquiring seeds from what they eat - tomatoes are ideal - don't forget if you want want to get crafty, smart labels, diaries of progress, of course there's the ICT links using digital cameras ---- you'll probably get all the equipment you'll need in a newsletter appeal to families.  I wouldn't bother with 'child-sized' tools for the infants, they can cope with adult trowels and hand forks.  I always insisted the children wore gloves, and you'll probably have to do a risk assessment. (ingesting worms?)  I hope it goes well for you, keep us informed!

[saddad]

We encourage reception and year one, 4-6 year olds for Eristic, to come and plant Sunflowers in Spring and have a "competition".. for the tallest... the teacher is comong back tomorrow. They need no attention at all over the long holiday which is good...  :)

[Trevor_D]

I've no direct experience of running a gardening club, even though I'm an ex-teacher, but we've had a local Primary School - mainly Years 1 & 2 - around the site on a few visits this year and it's something we want to continue. (Especially as one of our Committee members now has a job in the other nearby Primary.)

They all loved planting potatoes, even the mums who were helping (one of whom signed up for one of our starter plots at the weekend!). They never did get round to digging them up, but if you can time it well, that would be even more fun. (I still feel like a six-year-old every time I do it!)

Never thought of sunflowers, Saddad. Nice idea - might try that one next year. Especially as my grand-daughters and I sowed them together, most of mine died, all of theirs lived and the tallest one pokes in through their bedroom window!

And you need more than just a patch of dirt and a handful of seeds. You also need enthusiastic adults who have the time, energy and backing from the powers-that-be to communicate the sheer enjoyment, fun and life-enhancement that gardening - or anything else that you're passing on to them - can bring.

Good luck to your venture. The country would be a richer place if all schools had such clubs. (And music and art and drama and sport - my enthusiasm was for gymnastics - or whatever, not just a grim round of Gradgrind facts that tick Government boxes.)

Oops - gonna stir up a few hornets there, aren't I?

[thifasmom]

I've no direct experience of running a gardening club, even though I'm an ex-teacher, but we've had a local Primary School - mainly Years 1 & 2 - around the site on a few visits this year and it's something we want to continue. (Especially as one of our Committee members now has a job in the other nearby Primary.)

They all loved planting potatoes, even the mums who were helping (one of whom signed up for one of our starter plots at the weekend!). They never did get round to digging them up, but if you can time it well, that would be even more fun. (I still feel like a six-year-old every time I do it!)

Never thought of sunflowers, Saddad. Nice idea - might try that one next year. Especially as my grand-daughters and I sowed them together, most of mine died, all of theirs lived and the tallest one pokes in through their bedroom window!

And you need more than just a patch of dirt and a handful of seeds. You also need enthusiastic adults who have the time, energy and backing from the powers-that-be to communicate the sheer enjoyment, fun and life-enhancement that gardening - or anything else that you're passing on to them - can bring.

Good luck to your venture. The country would be a richer place if all schools had such clubs. (And music and art and drama and sport - my enthusiasm was for gymnastics - or whatever, not just a grim round of Gradgrind facts that tick Government boxes.)

Oops - gonna stir up a few hornets there, aren't I?

stir away i hear you loud and clear :)

[shonam]

You mentioned nature and there's lots of things you could do with the kids that could be made for free/next to nothing with 'found' things to encourage wildlife into a garden - building a bug hotel out of pallets, logs etc, log piles, lacewing/ladybird houses?

[Sholls]

Also, bird feeders e.g. coconut shells filled with fat & seed; if coconuts can't be found then fashion the mix into balls or roll it out & make shapes with a pastry cutter. (Recipes can be found on-line). If you have a 'proper' butcher locally they may be able to provide suet or lard at little or no cost.

Home ed groups might also be worth a look. I did a quick search for 'home ed resources' & 'home ed gardening projects' and found loads of stuff. :)

[Digeroo]

I think it is lovely to get children interested in growing things. 

You will have to realise that you can get some great advice on this site, but there is also a wry sense of humour.  Those who have had not contact with schools recently find the new class names difficult, ages will help. 

We used to grow cress and broad beans.  We used blotting paper but kitchen roll will do nicely.  Put in a jam jar with a little water in the bottom and the paper round the inside keep bean out of water, the water wicks up the paper and keeps the bean moist.  Start in about January and in about march they can be thrown outside to grow on.  You can watch the root growing and the shoot coming out.

What about lettuce now in plastic trays on a windowsill will be ready to eat in a few weeks. Surface sow, cover with cling film, keep moist.  Simple.

[gardening-gal]

Hi Trina I hadn't seen this post and pretty much created a new post saying exactly the same LOL
I have just started helping with a gardening club, Year ones.
We are growing some broad beans and onions over the winter and when its too wet to go out we are going to have a go at making scarecrows and make bug homes, bird feeders.
Our gardening club has to fit into the school day so is a little bit difficult cos we have different children and only for a short space of time.
I did go and buy some smaller tools, I didn't think it safe for them to be trying to use a tool that is way to big for them.
I was wondering about hanging baskets but then we have a problem with vandals so we have to be careful that what we do isn't going to tempt the gits to wreck everything.

[fenbunny]

If you are looking or free stuff have a word with the local old Bill.
This may seem odd but ours distribute compost and planters fron those illegal green fingered types when they come across it.
I think that it' a fantsasitic idea and my kids school has benifited on more than one occasion.

[Hosta]

How about a wild life garden and an area for a sensory garden.

We did this with the nursery children and it was fab.  We also had a few large planters which we planted up with veg. The only problem was when the school closed for the summer for 7 weeks, there was no-one to regularly water, dead head and  harvest.  A lot of the plants didnt do too well over the summer.  :(  

We got a load of free trees from the Woodland Trust. 
What about Morrisons Lets Grow promotion aswell, get your parents collecting the vouchers to exchange for gardening equipment !